Greece vs Turkey: The unknown incident in Evros

A true battle between a Greek police patrol and men of the Turkish Special Forces was avoided in the early hours of Tuesday, April 7, on the Greek-Turkish border in Evros, thanks to the cool-headed reaction and professionalism of the Greek men.

It is an incident that could easily have escalated into a “hot incident” between Greek and Turkish forces, as Turkish military guards fired a barrage not only in the air but also in a straight line, very close to the position where the Greek border police was.

According to information, it all started in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 7, when a group of Greek police officers from the Didymoteicho Border Guard Department, while patrolling near the village of Sofiko, heard dense gunshots from the Turkish side. The incident took place at around 3:30′ in the morning and while the police were moving between the military outposts EF-1 and EF-2.

Ten minutes later, the Turks returned, trying to provoke – directly this time – the Greek police officers. In a move that was seen as an attempt to engage the Greek police patrol in direct confrontation with them, three Turkish Army gendarme men, having taken up positions next to the Evros River on their own side of the border, resumed firing shot, but this time, however, the shots were at a lower level than the previous time.

However, Greek police again refused to respond to the Turks, estimating, and rightly so as it turned out, that this may be a well-organized plan to maintain tension in the region.

A little while later, at around 4.15′ in the morning, the estimates of the Greek police were confirmed. As they were leaving the scene the Turks started firing again for the third time.

In this case, however, the men of the Turkish Special Forces were even more provocative, not hesitating to shoot in front of the Greek police.

Both the political leadership of the Ministry of Civil Protection and the other officials and actors involved in the guarding of the Greek-Turkish land borders were immediately informed about the incident.

This incident confirms the assessments of both the Ministry of Civil Protection and the Ministry of Defense that Turkey’s intention is to continue to maintain tension in the Evros borderline, using a wide range of options to achieve this goal. “The Turks seek to keep the Greek border guards on high alert, in order to cause ware out to the Greek forces”, said sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, according to sources from the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, at least for the time being, the Evros river is developing into an insurmountable obstacle for Turkish plans, as the sudden rise in its water level forced their forces to retreat from its banks.

“The escalation of the last few days is something that worries us. Turkey’s political leadership has shown that it cannot stand defeat and will therefore return. This is something that both Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other government officials in the neighboring country have directly stated, stating that when the coronavirus pandemic passes, Turkey will move thousands of illegal immigrants to the region of Evros. In any case, we are preparing for any eventuality, further shielding the Greek borders through the construction of a series of fortifications”, the HNDGS sources state.

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