Apostolakis to Akar: Greece wants to avoid tensions in Aegean
Greek Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis explained Athens' opposition to Turkey's drilling plans off Cyprus during a meeting with Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on the sidelines of talks between NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Wednesday.
“I expressed our objections to their activities in the Aegean and Cyprus' exclusive economic zone. I reiterated that we want peace and security but will in no way back down from defending our sovereign rights,” he said according to a statement.
“We want to avoid tension. Besides, this is the purpose of the talks between our technical teams around over the confidence-building measures,” he added.
The meeting between Apostolakis and Akar came as Greece's National Council for Foreign Policy deliberated earlier on Wednesday over the measures the European Union is considering taking against Turkey, should the latter continue with its drilling plans off Cyprus'.
Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos briefed party representatives on the government's intiiatives on the matter and the talks held in Brussels.
