Greek MP: Greece must be the ones to resist Turkish provocations

A member of parliament belonging to the ruling party of Greece, New Democracy, said that Greece is the one that has to stop Turkey.

"The situation is very serious," said New Democracy MP Angelos Syrigos on SKAI. "We are the ones in the area and we have to stop them first."

The MP who is also a professor in International Relations made the comments when speaking on the Turkish provocation and the current actions of Ankara in the Aegean.

"International diplomacy will act later," Syrigos said, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip "Erdoğan seems to have made his decision. In the beginning we will definitely be alone, but we must be the ones to resist Turkish provocations."

He added that "Ankara does not appear to be violating the agreement between Greece and Egypt and is continuing the action it had started before it stopped due to German intervention."

Syrigos assured that Turkey's actions today were a clear violation of the Greek continental shelf.

"Ankara is trying to convince the West and Germany that it is not violating the continental shelf, but that the Greeks have violated it. They wanted to have in their hands the illegal agreement with Libya and at the same time claim the region with NAVTEX," Syrigos underlined.

As for whether Erdoğan will do something extreme like declare war, the professor's response was clear: "The fact that he is launching a research ship shows that he is going to extremes. This is a clear violation of sovereign rights. The situation is very serious."

In addition, the New Democracy MP estimated that "there will be a German intervention again".

"Erdoğan chooses to leave and his attitude shows that his decision is final. He will violate the continental shelf, even though he knows that Greece will be there and that Germany will intervene," he added.

Meanwhile, the Greek military has suspended all applications and licenses for military personnel who were scheduled to take leave or holidays, as reported by Greek City Times.

The only exceptions to those approved or applied to take leave are those on sick leave, maternity leave (for women) and parental leave (for men).