Kouvelis says tension to continue after Erdogan calls snap polls

Greece’s Alternate Defense Minister Fotis Kouvelis has expressed concern that tension in the Aegean will persist following the decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call a snap election for June 24.

“This climate of tension – tension which often escalates – fuels and serves a specific climate within Turkey that is in Erdogan’s interest,” Kouvelis told Skai TV on Friday.

Kouvelis added that although he did not believe Ankara would choose to stage a military incident in the Aegean, he was nevertheless concerned that the spike in Turkey’s provocations increased the likelihood of an “accident.”