Greek PM reveals unprecedented Turkish airspace violations – Details

Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis has revealed a series of Turkish violations of Greek airspace, stressing that Greece is ready to defend its sovereignty.

Mitsotákis said that his country “has witnessed an unprecedented barrage of Turkish violations of its airspace, and a constant return to unimaginable assurances about the reduction of the sovereignty assumed on the Greek islands”.

He added: “We have seen periods of increased tension in the discourse in the past. I hope and publicly encourage Turkey not to translate this rhetoric into greater tension in this area. In any case, Greece is ready to defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights”.

The Greek prime minister added that his country could work with Turkey to help resolve the current food crisis.

Regarding Ukraine’s 20 million tons of grain, which can only be transported by sea, he said Turkey has a role to play in the Black Sea, as Greece is doing with one of the world’s largest shipping fleets.

He continued: “Let us look at those areas where, under the auspices of the United Nations, we can work together and deliver our services”.

Asked about the deterioration of Greek-Turkish relations, the prime minister replied: “This is an unpleasant development because I also had the impression after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that we found a framework for mutual understanding”.

On Friday, the official Anatolia news agency reported that Turkey summoned the Greek ambassador in Ankara to the Foreign Ministry headquarters to protest what it described as Greece’s providing opportunities for terrorist groups to carry out their activities.

Ambassador Christodoulos Lazaris was also summoned after Greece allowed a protest near the Turkish embassy in Athens organized by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey and the European Union consider a terrorist organization, the news agency said.