Turkey's behaviour is illegal: Defence Minister

Greek Deputy National Defence Minister Nikos Hardalias on Tuesday briefed his fellow ministers from European Union member states of Turkey's continuing provocative and illegal behavior.

At the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) in Brussels chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Hardalias noted the large number of infringements of Greek air space and flights over Greek territory on April 27.

He said they corresponded to the frequency of those during the 2020 crisis that were condemned by the European Council and the Council of the EU. Turkey's behavior is illegal and revisionist, is aimed against Greek sovereignty, and constitutes a flagrant violation of International Law, he underlined.

Hardalias stood in for Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, who is accompanying Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on an official visit to the United States.

Dendias - Blinken Meeting

Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday where he discussed Turkey's provocative behaviour among other things.

"We had a productive meeting that emphasized the importance of Greece-US strategic relations," he said, adding that they had a "constructive discussion on situation in Ukraine following Russian invasion and developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Cyprus issue and the Western Balkans."

Dendias - Menendez Meeting

Following his meeting with Blinken, Greek Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias met briefly with US Senator Bob Menendez in Washington on Tuesday, the ministry tweeted.

Dendias, who is accompanying Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, met after the premier's address at a joint session of the US House of Representatives and the Senate, it added.