ATHENS – The foreign ministry on Thursday delivered a demarche to the Turkish side and specifically to the Turkish chargé d’affaires, protesting against the illegal and unfounded claims made by Turkish officials, according to diplomatic sources.

The foreign ministry underlined to the Turkish side the strong dissatisfaction of Greece, as well as its protest against the recent statements of Turkish officials, who questioned Greece’s sovereignty over the Aegean islands, assertions that the Greek side, of course, rejects as illegal and without foundation.

It was stressed that these statements are not only counterproductive but also an escalation of Turkey’s provocative behaviour.

The oxymoron within Turkish positions was also stressed, as the Turkish side constantly invokes international law at the same time as it is blatantly violating international law.

In this context, a clear reference was made to the casus belli, to the Turkish-Libyan “memorandum”, to the “Blue Homeland” and so on.

At the same time, the foreign ministry gave relevant instructions to Greek embassies in the member-states of the European Union, NATO and the members of the UN Security Council to provide relevant information on the escalation of Turkish provocative behaviour.

Similar information will be provided to the leaderships of the above organisations, according to the same sources.