Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared that although he wants dialogue with Turkey it will not be under threatening conditions.
Mr Mitsotakis issued his message from the island of Kasos, which is situated near the Dodecanese islands and close to the coast of Turkey, and which has recently been repeatedly overflown by Turkish Air Force jets.
“Under no circumstances can this dialogue take place under conditions of pressure, blackmail, and provocations by our neighbour. We are here to reconfirm our faith in international law as well as our absolute trust in the deterrent strategies of our Armed Forces. I applaud and stand with respect before the women and men of the Armed Forces who stay awake at night so that the rest of us can sleep easy,” the Greek PM said.
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Greece is working with Israel and Cyprus to create a security network to counter Turkish actions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Tukey recently reached an agreement with the de facto government of Libya that extended their Exclusive Economic Zone while ignoring the presence of the Greek island of Crete.
On January 2, the leaders of Greece, Israel and Cyprus will meet in Athens to sign an agreement to construct the EastMed pipeline that will bring natural gas to southern Europe.
The Greek government has said that Turkey’s recent efforts to restrict sea zones was contrary to international law and that the Turkish government is mobilising countries in the region to secure its own interests.
Meanwhile, greekreporter.com reported that a video showing Greek fishermen being harassed by two Turkish Coast Guard vessels was broadcast on television station One on Wednesday.
The footage was taken by one of the fishermen who were from Kalymnos while they were fishing near the small Greek island of Imia. Turkey claims the islet for itself.
The Greeks kept on fishing despite the harassment.