Yildirim: Turkish coast guard took down Greek flag from Aegean islet
The Turkish coastguard has removed a Greek flag that had been raised on an islet in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of the Turkish resort town of Didim, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday.
"We were informed about certain actions by our neighbors, Greece, which have been regularly increasing tensions in the Aegean," Yildirim said, according to Kathimerini. "Specifically we see incidents similar to that of Imia which relate to the sovereignty of islets with undetermined status," he said.
Speaking at a panel in Istanbul, Yildirim said that Greece has recently been violating islets in the Aegean and attempted to plant a flag on one of them off Didim, Turkey's Daily Sabah reported.
"Our coast guard squads carried out the necessary intervention and removed the flag," Sabah cited Yildirim as saying.
Yildirim advised Greece to avoid provocation and tensions under the framework of neighborly relations, Sabah said.
"We especially expect them to think that we will not give up the sovereignty rights of our country," Yildirim was quoted as saying.
