Amid rising tensions between Greece and Turkey, a total of 7,000 of Greece’s military troops are going to be sent to the country’s borders with Turkey, including Evros and the Aegean islands.
The news was announced on Wednesday from the island of Ikaria by national Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, AMNA reported.
Half of the soldiers will be placed in Thrace while the other half are sent to the islands.
The decision comes just after Greece announced a €1 billion upgrade to its military.
In recent months relations between Athens and Ankara have been strained, with Turkey using provocative language against Greece, questioning its sovereignty and violating both air space and waters a number of times.
Turkey has also come under fire for blocking Cyprus’ attempts to make use of its natural resources.
“In the coming months, Greece will be transformed into a country developing its own natural resources, natural gas, and oil,” said Mr Kammenos.
“That means that the responsibility to defend our country is extended to the borders of its economic zone, or several hundred miles in all directions. This means reorganisation and more means, which we will manage to acquire despite the crisis.”