ATHENS, April 28 (EFE) – The Greek government has decided to freeze confidence-building measures with Turkey after a new record of 126 violations of its airspace was recorded in one day by 16 Turkish military fighters.
Government spokesman Yiannis Economou commented on the freezing of Greek-Turkish meetings in order to enhance confidence, saying that “Turkish measures are unacceptable, they constitute a violation of the country’s sovereignty and this is a provocation that will not go unanswered.”
Economou added that Turkish provocations “are in no way in line with the spirit and content of the prime minister’s recent meeting with the Turkish president.”
On Wednesday, as many as 126 flights were recorded in Greek airspace – the highest number yet in a single day – by Turkish F-16 fighters and drones, also flying over 30 Greek islands, some of which are inhabited.
Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Timstocles Demiris, by order of the Minister, criticized Turkey for its actions, which he asserted were “inconsistent with the principles of international legality.”
A statement issued by the Greek Foreign Ministry today adds that “Turkey’s actions create an atmosphere of tension in particular in the region” and “undermine NATO’s cohesion at a particularly critical moment in the region in general.”
Turkish fighters usually maneuver during Easter week, but they stop before Easter, which is not the case on this occasion.
In recent years, Greece has already blamed Turkey for similar behavior for violating its airspace on several occasions over the Aegean, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as “gray areas”. EFE
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