Akar urges Greece to refrain from ‘provocations’ in the Aegean

Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Friday urged Greece to refrain from taking provocative action in the Aegean Sea, adding that Ankara will respond to any challenges against Turkish sovereign rights.

Speaking to a group of veterans in Istanbul, Akar reportedly said that “we expect everyone to stay clear of provocations… We expect everyone to bear in mind that we will react to any action [directed] against us. We will make no concession on this.”

Once again describing Turkey as a “blue homeland,” Akar warned that Ankara will not give up on its rights in the Aegean.

While stressing that Turkey is committed to the principle of good neighborly relations and to solving problems within the framework of international law, Akar reportedly added that “we want everyone to know that we will tolerate no fait accompli, we will sacrifice none of the rights of our holy nation.”

On Thursday, Greece’s Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis reiterated Athens’s growing concern over the behavior of its eastern neighbor.

“A perennial problem is Turkey, which has its own agenda, moves in its own way and does not cooperate well with its neighbors, nor with its historical allies,” he said after meeting with Archbishop Demetrios of America in New York.

Speaking in light of the recent escalation of tension emanating from Ankara, Apostolakis said Greece experiences problems with Turkey “daily.”