Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, were targeted once again by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu a few hours after an incident involving a Turkish boat in Greek territorial waters off Samos.
“Mitsotakis promised to focus on the positive agenda but he did not keep this promise,” Çavuşoğlu said initially, speaking at an event on Turkey’s foreign policy in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, adding that “they continued to speak against us, especially Dendias.”
“Allegations that Greece is preparing to attack Turkey mean that Athens has lost its mind,” he added, according to Anadolu, who went on to openly threaten Greece saying: “Athens knows well what it means to disagree with Ankara”.
Athens knows very well what it means to oppose Ankara, says Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 2, 2022
“We do not accept the effort that has been made and has trapped us on our shores,” added the Turkish Foreign Minister.
According to Turkey’s foreign minister, the answers given by Ankara “enraged Greece. They felt very uncomfortable with our legal arguments.”
As reported by Turkish media, Çavuşoğlu also referred to the images of the migrants in the Aegean and the Evros and claimed that “Greece tried to discredit us with fake photos and documents. We responded to them with documents.”
The incendiary rhetoric of the Turkish Foreign Minister could not be missing the baseless claims about the closure of mosques and institutions by Greece “while we opened a school for four students”.
Regarding the issue of airspace, Çavuşoğlu said that “it is outside of international law (including what Greece supports for the right to expand it)”.
“Greece is not sincere and honest” regarding the issues of the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, Çavuşoğlu added, accusing Greece of being the one blocking the path of justice.
#URGENT Greece 'not sincere and honest' regarding Aegean, East Med. issues, Turkish foreign minister says, adding Athens blocks path to justice pic.twitter.com/X6QAbQy8ek
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 2, 2022
The Hellenic Coast Guard said one of its vessels was harassed by a Turkish Coast Guard boat in Greek waters south of the island of Samos on Tuesday.
The incident, which was reportedly recorded on video by an Italian boat of the Frontex EU border agency, occurred during a search-and-rescue operation after a dinghy believed to have been carrying up to 14 migrants capsised at 3.8 nautical miles south of Samos on Monday.
Three men and a woman have so far been rescued, who told the Greek Coast Guard that they were on board the dinghy with another ten people.
Upon locating a body in Greek waters, a foreign-flagged cargo ship involved in the rescue mission called on the Turkish boat to come and collect it.
According to Greek authorities, the Turkish vessel entered Greek waters and performed dangerous manoeuvres when it was approached by the Greek Coast Guard boat. It was also reported that the Turkish vessel attempted to damage the Greek boat, and that it even showed its weapons.
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