June 8, 2018

GREECE: EU Slams Turkey’s ‘Illegal Actions’ In The Aegean Sea. Turkish Navy launches Warships And Commandos in the Aegean And Turkish Jets Violate Greek Airspace To Intimidate Greece.

[map source: ResearchGate.net]

The Greek Reporter, Greece
written by Tasos Kokkinidis
Friday March 23, 2018

EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday have condemned Turkey for its “continued illegal actions” in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and have underlined their solidarity with Cyprus and Greece.

They have also expressed “grave concern” about the continued detention of the two Greek soldiers.

Earlier, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades briefed their EU counterparts on Turkey’s provocative stance in the Aegean and Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

The European Union must be very clear with Turkey in terms of respecting international laws, Tsipras said on his arrival at the EU Council meeting.

“I think that we have to be very skeptical about the developments in the region. But I think that we have to be very straight to the Turkish side about their obligations, especially their obligation to respect international law, but at the same time to keep open the doors of dialogue,” Tsipras said in response to a question.

Here is the EU Council Statement on Turkey:

Actions by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea

The European Council strongly condemns Turkey’s continued illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and underlines its full solidarity with Cyprus and Greece.

Recalling its conclusions of October 2014 and the Declaration of 21 September 2005, the European Council urgently calls on Turkey to cease these actions and respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources in accordance with EU and International Law.

In this context, it recalls Turkey’s obligation to respect International Law and good neighbourly relations, and normalize relations with all EU Member States including the Republic of Cyprus.

The European Council expressed its grave concern over the continued detention of EU citizens in Turkey, including two Greek soldiers, and calls for the swift and positive resolution of these issues in a dialogue with Member States.

The European Council will remain seized of these matters.
Greek City Times, Greece
written by Staff
Thursday June 7, 2018

An extremely dangerous move has taken place today as Turkey escalates tensions between Ankara and Athens on the Aegean Sea.

According to state agency broadcaster Anadolu, Ankara has ordered a frigate, two missiles and a command group from their Navy and told them to be ready and waiting at all times.

The command is said to have been given due to the tension prevailing in the Aegean, with Ankara insisting they are making this move “because of Greece’s effort to increase tension in the Aegean.”

This comes just as Turkish President Erdogan has been quoted as saying ,”Our neighbours in Greece are finished, they have gone bankrupt. Nevertheless, (the international agencies) have upgraded them. These people (the Greeks) sank, collapsed, are you able to save them by upgrading them? Look at their roads and streets and see how bad they are now, “Erdogan said in a speech.
Ekathimerini News, Greece
written by Staff
Tuesday June 5, 2018

Greek defense authorities recorded seven violations of national air space in the space of under half an hour on Tuesday morning by a formation of four Turkish fighter jets.

The formation of F-16s entered Athens’s Flight Information Region (FIR) 10.35 a.m. and split off into two pairs, conducting seven unauthorized overflights in the southeastern Aegean area. The last Turkish jet departed the FIR at 11.03 a.m.

The violations come in the wake of aggressive rhetoric emanating from Ankara in response to the release by Greek judicial authorities of the last four of eight Turkish servicemen wanted in that country over an attempted coup in the summer of 2016.

Following the announcement of the officers’ release into protective police custody following the expiry of their maximum pretrial detention period on Monday night, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag accused Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of going back on a pledge to ensure that the eight servicemen were extradited.

“From statements made in Greece by its prime minister right after the coup, we were of the positive opinion that they would be extradited to Turkey. Admittedly we had hope,” Bozdag was quoted by Greek media as saying of the eight soldiers who flew to Greece in a helicopter right after the failed overthrow on July 15, 2016. “We thought that Mr Tsipras would keep his word. With time, though, we saw that the judicial authorities were mobilized and these ‘putschists’ were not extradited.”

Bozdag reportedly went on to say that whatever Greek authorities do, “it is our duty to find those ‘putschist’ soldiers… pack them up and bring them to Turkey.”

No comments: