Greek Prime Minister Says Will Not Allow Aggressive Overflights Of Islands

Greece will not tolerate aggressive overflights of their islands in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday in remarks to a joint session of the US Congress

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2022) Greece will not tolerate aggressive overflights of their islands in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday in remarks to a joint session of the US Congress.

"I want to be absolutely clear, we will not accept open acts of aggression that violate our sovereignty and our territorial rights. These include overflights of Greek islands, which must stop immediately," Mitsotakis said. "The last thing that NATO needs at a time when our focus is on helping Ukraine defeat Russia's aggression, is another source of instability on NATO's southeastern flank."

Mitsotakis also asked Congress to take his statement into account when making defense procurement decisions concerning the eastern Mediterranean.

The Greek leader in April informed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about alleged violations of airspace by Turkey above the islands of Samos, Lemnos, Chios, and Karpathos, located in the Aegean Sea - an area with disputed maritime and air borders.

For decades, the Aegean Sea, located between Turkey and Greece, has been an area of dispute between the two countries.

Greece claims to be greatly impacted by the large number of illegal migrants coming into the country through the sea border with Turkey.

A US State Department official earlier in May called on the two countries to respect each other's sovereignty, following a refusal to condemn around 30 reported violations of Turkish airspace by Greece.

Greeks claim their territorial waters extend 6 nautical miles off the coast, and that their airspace extends 10 nautical miles. The State Department official also urged coordination and discussion where disagreements exist on territorial boundaries, not actions that could lead to deadly incidents.

Mitsotakis in his speech to the US Congress also touched on the shared democratic history and values of the countries, as well as common efforts to support Ukraine amid Russia's special military operation.

However, Greece holds no animus toward the Russian people, with whom the country is closely bonded by faith and history, Mitsotakis added.