Turkey’s Permanent Delegate Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the European Union, Faruk Kaymakci added fuel to the fire of the Greek-Turkish relations by stating that “flowers, flags or picnics on these rocky islands were provocative” in an interview to Euroactiv.com.

Continuing in the interview he went on to accuse Greece and Cyprus of constantly provoking his country with their stance in the Aegean Sea. “Putting flowers on a rock, on a small islet in the Aegean Sea? Why do we need that? What is the point of putting a Greek flag on an island where there is no one? And what is the point of flying over these small islets and rocks, which are not even inhabited? These actions will not satisfy any claim of sovereignty but just cause provocations”, he said.

Responding to Greece’s claims that the islands belonged to her Faruk Kaymakcı said: “Turkey says the same. So how can you claim that this is your sovereignty? It might be Turkish or Greek, but the delimitation has not been made between Greece and Turkey. Until the delimitation is agreed by the interested parties, no one can claim any territory or territorial waters in disputed areas. What we are saying is that these islets, whose status is not defined by international or bilateral agreements, cannot be claimed by any side. So until we solve these problems why are we provoking all these things?”