With fake news and new threats, Ankara is dynamiting the climate – Athens responds

With provocations and threats, Ankara continues to dynamite the climate with Greece, while Athens responds with calmness and determination to the barrage of threats, announcing that Greece is ready for all eventualities.

Regardless of whether the threats are largely related to the domestic fronts of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who continues to trail in the polls ahead of elections in the coming months, the fear of an accident in the Aegean, as the Turkish provocation hits “red”, it remains.

Yesterday, Ankara once again indulged in the “game” of fake news, claiming that a Turkish fishing vessel was harassed off Lesvos by the Greek coast guard.

As Turkish media reported, reports that were immediately denied by the Greek authorities, the Greek coast guard approached the Turkish fishing boat, which was fishing in Turkish territorial waters, and initially threw stones and then opened fire.

Sources of the Port of Lesvos point out that they did not have the slightest information and that this is a provocative move.

“We are prepared for any eventuality”

In recent times, Turkish provocations with bellicose rants against Greece has exceeded all limits as on a daily basis Turkish officials issue threats, under the pretext of the possible extension of Greek territorial waters to 12 nautical miles south of Crete, while at the same time, they attempt to paint islands of the Aegean “grey”.

The Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis spoke about the Turkish challenges and the attitude of Athens, declaring, among other things, that Greece has the international community as a whole behind it.

Mr. Gerapetritis said that “what we have to do is to be prepared for any eventuality. If this is inexpensive rhetoric in the context of the internal political dialogue, which takes place in the run-up to the election of the president, this is an issue that primarily concerns Turkey.

If it is a preparation, for something bigger, for an operational, if you like, attempt at the expense of Greece, we are absolutely prepared for any eventuality,” he emphasized.

He also noted, that Greece has all the required alliances on its side.

“We are not afraid. We are not redefining our policy based on Turkey’s stance and we will never be cowed,” he said.

On the same wavelength and the statements of the government representative Yiannis Economou who announced, in the shadow of the Turkish challenges, that Greece is a country that does not accept hints and much more threats about the way in which it will conduct its foreign policy.

“Greece is neither threatened nor blackmailed”, stressed Mr. Economou, recalling the stabilizing role of Greece in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region, but also the non-negotiable and unyielding attitude of Athens regarding our sovereignty and our sovereign rights .

He also underlined that “we are fully prepared, with the utmost efficiency to react to every challenge, every trick, every threat. I don’t know what Mr. Erdogan has in mind. The scope of Greek positions, the scope of our country’s influence in recent years has expanded and at the same time Greece with absolute efficiency, preparedness and a solid internal front, self-confidence, with allies on its side, with full competence, can manage and deal effectively with every threat” the government representative emphasized while speaking to SKAI channel.