Turkey is escalating its aggression in the Aegean Sea, although at present the tension over the ramming of a Greek coast guard vessel by a Turkish patrol boat off Imia islet has dropped, Government Spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told public radio ERA on Wednesday.
“There is obviously an escalation in provocations and aggressive actions by Turkey; however, at this time there seems to be a de-escalation in tension,” the spokesman and state minister said.
He noted however that this does not mean that vigilance of the Greek state will be relaxed. “We are closely monitoring the developments and are in constant alertness,” he said.
Tzanakopoulos said that the Greek government is ready to confront any provocative action by the Turkish side on a political, diplomatic or international level, but cautioned that “what is now necessary is close monitoring (of the situation) and self-control”.
He underlined that “the status quo in the Aegean is absolutely clear, there is no argument on this according to international law,” adding that “whatever move Turkey undertakes – which we are not expecting will occur, we are working towards avoiding this – will be addressed not only by the Greek side but also by the European Union and by all the international organisations. There should be no doubt whatsoever about this. “