“Hot incident with Turkey unlikely at this time,” says Defense Minister

A “hot incident with Turkey is unlikely at this time,” Greek Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis said on Monday evening. In an interview with private ANT1 TV, Apostolakis said  that there is always the possibility that something happens with Greece’s neighboring country.

“My point is, however, that it is not possible because Turks have to deal with so many things that they do not want to add another one,” he stressed.

Regarding the Turkish illegal drilling in Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus, the Defense Minister said that Greece and Cyprus have coordinated their joint actions and this coordination has brought the support of the European Union as well as other countries, meaning the USA.

“If Turkey does not stop, we will go further and this will be the effort at the moment, as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has agreed with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Anastasiades, we will try to impose sanctions.”

To the question “how Greece will react if Turkey tries to violate the Greek EEZ,” the minister made it clear that he will not let it reach this point and that all necessary steps will be taken to prevent this from happening.

“It is a violation of sovereign rights and we must not tolerate it. There are plans, there have been many debates on this possibility, there is readiness to do what should be done,” Apostolakis said.  ”

“The wish is that this will not happen and all the efforts that are being made are to prevent from reaching such a point. Because then things will very difficult,” he added.get too difficult. ”

He stressed that the Greek Armed Forces are in constant readiness.

Before joining Tsipras’ cabinet in January 2019, Evangelos Apostolakis was a Navy Admiral and served as the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff.