Turkey says Greece’s violation of its airspace, territorial waters ‘unacceptable’
Turkey’s National Security Council has said that it was “unacceptable” for Greece to violate Turkey’s territorial waters and airspace, calling on the country to stop its “provocative actions.”
Duvar English
Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) on July 21 released a statement following a meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The statement slammed the neighboring Greece and accused the country of undertaking “provocative actions” and “violating the territorial waters and airspace” of Turkey.
“It has been indicated [in the MGK meeting] that it is unacceptable of Greece … to continue its violations of territorial waters and airspace, on top of its provocative actions,” the statement read, according to reporting by state-run Anadolu Agency.
The council also called on Greece to “end its activities that put irregular migrants’ lives in danger and are against human rights and humane laws.”
Turkey and Greece have long-standing sea and air boundary disputes amid moves to explore potential undersea natural gas reserves. The disagreement has resulted in near-daily air force patrols and interception missions.
The council further said that Turkey had urged NATO allies to show their support in the fight against terror groups, naming specifically Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Syrian Kurdish YPG and the Gülen network.
The council’s statement also touched upon Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, calling for "a comprehensive ceasefire to be declared" before the war "leads to more casualties and destruction."
Turkey reiterated its efforts "to resolve the issue that is turning into a global food crisis with the establishment of a lasting will," the statement said.