Imia
Greece
Erdogan Adviser Compares Greek 'Fly' to Turkish 'Giant'
An outspoken aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lambasted Greece, saying any conflict over the Aegean would be like "a fly picking a fight with a giant".
Yigit Bulut made the comment on Turkish television as tensions between...
Diplomacy
Aegean Should be ‘Sea of Friendship’ Turkey Now Says
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday the Aegean should be a “sea of friendship” between Greece and Turkey in comments that may signal Ankara’s intention to de-escalate the crisis between the two NATO allies.
His remarks came a...
Diplomacy
Washington Urges Greece, Turkey to Calm Down
The U.S. State Department has encouraged Greece and Turkey to "de-escalate" current tensions in the Aegean, after a Turkish coast guard vessel rammed a Greek patrol boat on Monday night near the Imia islets.
"Turkey and Greece have long-established diplomatic...
Diplomacy
Turkey: Imia Islets Belong to Us, Greek Gov't Misinforms its Citizens
Ankara escalated tension in the Aegean on Tuesday by issuing the most provocative statement so far, claiming that the Imia islets belong to Turkey and that the Greek government is misinforming its people.
The official statement issued by Turkey's Foreign...
Diplomacy
EU: Turkey Needs to Respect the Sovereignty of EU Member-States
The European Commission is closely monitoring the situation in the Aegean, Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said on Tuesday, while warning Turkey of the need to respect the sovereignty of EU member-states.
Schinas was commenting on the incident involving two vessels...
Greece
Turkish Paper: 11 Turkish and 8 Greek Ships Patrol Imia
Tension in the Aegean is rising as 11 Turkish and eight Greek warships patrol around Imia islets, following Tuesday morning's incident of a Turkish Navy ship ramming a Greek coast guard boat.
According to Hurriyet newspaper, 11 Turkish navy and...
Greece
Turkish Forces Violate Greek Airspace, Waters
Thirty-three Turkish aircraft violated Greek airspace and broke international aviation rules in the first 12 days of February, more than a third of the same number for January alone.
According to data from the Hellenic National Defence Forces General Staff,...
Diplomacy
Greece Summons Turkish Envoy over Imia Incident
Greece filed a strongly-worded demarche with the Turkish embassy on Tuesday, following the ramming by a Turkish patrol boat of a Greek vessel near the Imia islet area before midnight on Monday.
The Port Authority confirmed that the Turkish patrol...
Diplomacy
Fmr NATO Chief: 'Imia Islets Are, and Will Remain Greek Forever'
Former NATO Commander James Stavridis has told Greek Reporter in an exclusive interview that the Aegean islets of Imia, whose sovereignty is disputed by Turkey, "are Greek and they will remain Greek forever."
Speaking on the sidelines of the Leadership...
Greece
Erdogan Lashes out at Greece, Cyprus
Turkey's president issued a thinly-veiled threat against Greece and Cyprus on Tuesday amid a series of incidents in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was addressing lawmakers from his ruling party in Ankara when he said: "Opportunistic attempts...