Greece slams Turkey over ‘repeated threats of war’

Greece’s Foreign Ministry slams what it calls Turkish threats of war, after the Turkish foreign minister threatened to “take action” against Greece in the wake of a military exercise in the Aegean Sea.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry says Turkey’s “repeated threats of war” are “completely unacceptable,” and notes that Greece respects international law and the United Nations’ Law of the Sea.

Turkey insists the deployment of soldiers or weapons on eastern Aegean Greek islands near its coast violates the islands’ non-military status according to international law. Greece counters that it needs to defend them against a potential attack from Turkey, noting that Ankara maintains a sizable military force on the western Turkish coast, just across from the islands.

Yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that “Greece needs to renounce its violation. Either it steps back on the issue and abides by the agreement or we’ll do whatever is necessary.”