The Greek Foreign Ministry just minutes ago released a statement in response to Turkey's illegal NAVTEX announcement to illegally conduct research in its maritime space.
"The new illegal Turkish Navtex for illegal searches south of the island of Megisti on the Greek continental shelf, in combination with the observed wide mobility of units of the Turkish navy, is a new serious escalation and exposes in the most obvious way its destabilization and threats," the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry then highlighted that Turkey's aggression "comes at a time when Greece has demonstrated in practice its commitment to international legitimacy."
"Based solely on International Law, International Maritime Law and Good Neighborliness Rules, Greece reached an agreement on the delimitation of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) after negotiations with neighboring countries. It has stated its readiness for dialogue, in order to proceed with corresponding demarcations with its other neighbors based on the International Law of the Sea," the Greek MFA emphasized.
As the Greek MFA highlighted, Turkey's claims that it wants dialogue with Greece is a "sham" and that the Turks are using "practices of past centuries."
"On the contrary, Turkey is proving in practice that its statements of readiness for dialogue are a sham. Citing the signing of a completely legal Greece-Egypt EEZ Agreement, it abandons the dialogue before it even begins and resorts to the practices of past centuries, following dead-end tactics to try and make some accomplishments," the Greek MFA statement continued.
"Greece will not accept any blackmail. It will defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights," the Foreign Ministry added, concluding by saying that "we call on Turkey to immediately end its illegal actions that undermine peace and security in the region."
Despite Greece's calls for dialogue, the country is none-the-less prepared for any eventuality with Turkey and has recalled all military personnel that were on leave with only a few exceptions, as reported by Greek City Times.
