Greece reacted in a staunch manner to a series of recent provocative statements by Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar who disputed Greece’s sovereign rights in the eastern Mediterranean, releasing a bulletin on Thursday calling Turkey “a violator of International Law”.

The full statement reads as follows:
“The delimitation of the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone, in its totality, shall be determined on the basis of International Law and certainly not by taking into account non-existent and arbitrary theories adopted by Turkey, a violator of International Law.
Regarding issues of demilitarisation, the well-known positions of Greece stem exclusively from International Law and the UN Charter and leave no room for doubt.
Greece is not going to be drawn into an exchange in aggressive rhetoric.
We call upon our neighbour Turkey to act with due seriousness and commitment to the principles of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations.”

The Turkish Minister of Defence said that Turkey would “defend” its interests in the eastern Mediterranean in the event Greece or Cyprus proceeded to make any moves Turkey deemed “illegitimate”.