ATHENS – “The Turkish aggressiveness is unacceptable, it is rejected but does not intimidate us,” Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias stated on Thursday while addressing the Parliamentary Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs. Dendias said the references by Turkish officials to the occupation of Greek islands were “beyond unacceptable” and sent a message to Ankara that Greece will on no account fall into the tap of escalatory rhetoric and will not reply with similar vulgar threats and expressions, thus turning an issue of international law and international legality into an oriental marketplace brawl.

“I will not underestimate what has been said by Turkish officials in the last few days… The references to the occupation of Greek islands are beyond unacceptable. It was for this reason that I deliberately used the word “dailikia” [from the Turkish dayi, meaning bully] at my meeting with the French foreign minister the other day, precisely in order to underline how unacceptable these things are, which are unprecedented, unheard of, do not stand up to any scrutiny and do not deserve any reply,” Dendias said.

Speaking during the debate on the ratification of the protocol for Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO at the parliamentary committee, Dendias said that “it is obvious that there is total unity of the political system, of the political parties and of the Greek people and society. Coarse threats about when someone will arrive do not affect the Greek people and we will not fall into the obvious trap of escalatory rhetoric …”.