Via Ekathimerini – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke with his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim on Tuesday evening amid rising tension in the Aegean.
Tsipras reportedly told Yildirim that incidents such as the one on Monday night, when a Turkish coast guard boat rammed a Greek patrol vessel, undermine Turkey’s relations with Greece and the European Union and contravene international law.
The Greek leader called for Turkey to end its breaches of Greece’s air space and territorial waters and for there to be de-escalation in the region.
According to sources, the two men agreed to intensify discussions regarding confidence-building measures.
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it accused the Greek government of misinforming the public about Monday’s incident and claimed that the Imia islets belong to Turkey.
Ankara has long disputed the sovereignty of the islands, over which Greece and Turkey were close to going to war in 1996.
The ministry accused Greece of adopting a dangerous stance and called on Athens to desist.