Turkish authorities did not allow regional governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas,to enter the country via the port of Izmir on Saturday. They detained for six hours and ultimately he was forced to return to Greece.

The Foreign Ministry in Athens issued a furious statement calling on Turkey to give sufficient explanations.

Tzitzikostas arrived in Izmir on the new ferry line that connect Thessaloniki at 11:30 a.m. in order to preside over the 13th European-Mediterranean General Assembly (ARLEM).

However, short after his arrival he was detained and was held for 6 hours in an office from local authorities, who did not allow him to enter the country.

Tzitzikostas was forced to return to Greece, media reported.

According to ANT1 TV, Tzitzikostas was not allowed to enter Turkey for being marked as “persona non grata.” Later, Turkish authorities claimed that his name was resembling to the one of somebody else.

Early Saturday evening, Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu accused Tzitzikostas for leaving the country and claimed it was a “technical problem.”

Tzitzikostas commented to media “Banning his entrance to Turkey was unacceptable.”

As expected, the incident fueled the already tensed relations between the two neighboring countries.

Greek Foreign Ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that it immediately requested an explanation for the “unacceptable and completely abusive detention and entry ban” of the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, stressing that from the first moment there was a mobilization of the Greek Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General in Izmir.

Statement

“We unequivocally condemn the unacceptable and completely abusive detention and entry ban of the Governor of Central Macedonia by the Turkish authorities in Smyrna earlier today.

We expect the relevant Turkish authorities to give an immediate explanation and call on them to take the necessary measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The Greek Embassy in Ankara, as well as the Consulate General in Izmir mobilized from the first moment making relevant presentations to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.