Turkey must abide by international law, Greek FM says

Reacting to a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement disputing Greek territorial sovereignty over the Imia islets in the eastern Aegean, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Wednesday urged Ankara to abide by international law.

“Turkey needs to understand that on the side of the Aegean it has to act in accordance with international law. Greece is a far more organized country than Syria and Iraq where Turkey found the opportunity to enter,” Kotzias told radio station 24/7. 

“We must be sober and assess things with caution. Difficult times mandate sober thinking,” he added.

In the same interview, Kotzias appeared to take a distance from Alternate Defense Minister Fotis Kouvelis regarding the recent incident involving a Turkish coast guard helicopter off Ro island.

“It was a sound that was shot at, not a visible object,” he said.

In comments made Tuesday, Kouvelis said that the helicopter had been chased off by the Greek guard on the island.