Greece is a peaceful country that threatens none, but will accept nobody telling it how to defend its territory, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a meeting in Athens Thursday with European Council President Antonio Costa.
His comments came amid Turkish criticism of Greece’s military procurement drive and militarization of the Aegean Sea islands, combined with a questioning of Greek sovereignty over parts of the archipelago.
“I remind you that a condition for participation in the SAFE program is that the security interests of member-states should not be threatened,” Mitsotakis said, referring to the European Union’s drive to facilitate joint military procurement.
“I must inform [Costa] about the recent increase in Turkish provocations, particularly in the Aegean,” he added. “Respect for international law and good neighborly relations are a precondition for the European prospects of every candidate country.
”Mitsotakis stressed that while Athens supports Turkey’s EU prospects, these must go hand-in-hand with good relations with Greece.
“It’s inconceivable that there should be an active threat of war and questioning of Greek sovereignty by a country that hopes to improve its relations with the European Union,” he said.
