Greece sending letter to UN in response to Turkish claims
Greece is sending an official letter to the United Nations, countering, in detail, Ankara’s “unfounded claims” concerning the islands of the Aegean, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.
The letter, which will be addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and sent “within the next few hours,” according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, comes in response to a sharp escalation of aggressive rhetoric and actions from Ankara in the wake of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Washington last week.
On Wednesday, Turkey issued a navigational telex reserving the sea area between the Greek islands of Chios, Lesvos and Limnos for seismic surveys, while on Tuesday night, a pair of Turkish fighter jets carried out an unauthorized flight over the islets of Oinousses and Panagia. A similar overflight was conducted last week over the northeastern Greek port of Alexandroupoli, among many other airspace violations over the past few days.
Ankara’s rhetoric has been no less alarming, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying on Monday that he has no intention of ever meeting with Mitsotakis again, following the latter’s criticism of Turkey on his visit to the United States.
“For me, there is no Mitsotakis. I will never meet with him again,” the Turkish president said after a meeting of his cabinet.
