New Democracy Leader briefs NATO on Turkish provocations

Greece’s main opposition party leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis briefed NATO and EU officials about the provocations and air space violations committed by Turkey on an ongoing basis.

Mitsotakis also briefed his counterparts at the recent European People's Party (EPP) summit in Brussels where he was attending.

The New Democracy Leader met with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, the President of the EU’s Military Committee (EUMC) General Mikhail Kostarakos and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

“I expressed to everyone my intense concern for the escalation of the provocations in the Aegean from Ankara and of course I informed them about Greece’s standard positions [on the issue],” he said, noting that for the first time Greece witnessed a military exercise of the Turkish Navy with real fire inside Greek waters.

“Greece does not intend to be dragged into an escalation which, as it seems, the Turkish side wants. But it will not allow any provocation to go unanswered,” he said and added Greece wants good neighbourly relations with Turkey based on international law and treaties."