Turkey did not waste time and issued a harsh and expected response to Greece’s plans to populate and economically develop several islets in the eastern Aegean Sea.
Late Thursday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu expressed Ankara’s discomfort and had him repeat the usual claims challenging the Greek sovereignty.
“We have declared several times that we will not accept possible de facto circumstances that were created by Greek policy on disputed geographical formations,” Muftuoglu said, noting that Santorinios had not named the 28 islets.
Ankara expects prudence from Greece on “such a sensitive matter,” he added.
According to media reports of January 11th, Deputy Minister for Shipping and Island Policy Nektarios Santorinios plans several measures and small-scale projects on 28 islets and rocky formations, including the construction of beacons and military outposts as well as the building of infrastructures for shepherds and fishermen.
Alternate Defense Minister Dimitris Vitsas commetned Muftuoglu’s statement saying “For Greece, there are no grey areas in the Aegean; everything is cleared out in the international treaties and under these treaties we organize our strategy.”
On its part Ankara believes to have created a fait accompli in the Aegean Sea and introduced the term of “grey zones” claiming areas in the Aegean after the Imia incident, when the two countries came at the brink of war in January 1996.
like a new makronyssos perhaps?
these people talk out of their *sses! kastellorizo can not even provide basic services to its residents…