AFP recalled that on September 3, the Turkish president threatened Greece to pay a “high price” for Greek warplanes violating Turkish airspace and “harassing” Turkish planes over the Aegean Sea. “Your occupation of the islands does not oblige us in any way. When the time comes, we will do what is necessary. We can come suddenly at night,” Erdogan said, referring to the Greek islands off the coast of Turkey. He used similar rhetoric to the one he used in connection with Turkish military operations in northern Syria. Photo gallery (3) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Source: SITA/Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool Borrell’s spokesman pointed out during the press conference that these are “hostile statements of the Turkish political leadership against Greece and the Greek people”. “Such hostile statements raise serious concerns,” Stano emphasized. According to him, the EU executive expects Turkey to refrain from any further verbal escalation and commit to maintaining good neighborly relations with Greece. Greece is a member country of the European Union “In relations with Greece, every unresolved issue should be resolved peacefully, through dialogue in good faith, in accordance with international law and in accordance with the principle of good neighborly relations,” said the spokesman. He reminded that Greece is a member country of the European Union and Turkey should respect the sovereignty and integrity of EU member countries. Photo gallery (3) Josep Borrell
Source: SITA/AP Photo/Virginia Mayo AFP said Athens has repeatedly accused Turkish planes of flying over Greek islands near the border with Turkey and the dispute between the two neighboring states. Turkey, on the other hand, condemns the presence of troops on Greek islands near the Turkish mainland, which, according to Ankara, is in violation of the peace treaties signed after the First and Second World Wars.