‘Mighty’ armed forces ready to counter outside threats, says Floros

Greece’s “mighty” armed forces are ready to respond to anyone “threatening, insulting, chiding or belittling” the country, the chief of the Greek military, General Konstantinos Floros, said Thursday amid lingering tensions with Aegean neighbor Turkey.

In a message to troops ahead of a national holiday commemorating the country’s defiance of Fascist Italy that forced it to enter World War II, Floros said that Greece refuses to be drawn into an escalation spiral with regional adversaries, stressing however that the armed forces “are sleepless guardians of [our] lawful national interests.”

“We want peace and we are working hard for regional stability. But we will never give up an inch of Greek territory without a fight,” he said.