Gov’t talks tough but divisions remain

Athens has toughened its stance toward Turkey, with government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos warning yesterday that Greece will respond to any further acts of aggression.

“If there is another act of Turkish aggression on Greek territory, there will be a response and there is no other way for us,” he told Skai TV yesterday morning.

Tensions between the two neighbors escalated this week after a Turkish vessel rammed a Hellenic Coast Guard boat off the Imia islets in the eastern Aegean on Monday night.

Tzanakopoulos’s remarks followed similar tough statements on Thursday night by Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, who said that Turkey “touched the red line and in some sense crossed it.” He also warned Ankara that the next time it acts aggressively, Greece will not respond in the same peaceful manner. However, despite the strong rhetoric, the government’s main position remains that Greece must avoid a clash and seek an outlet through diplomatic channels and the pressure that allies can apply on Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkey’s naval blockade off Cyprus that has prevented Italian company Eni from drilling in Block 3 of the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ) entered its seventh day yesterday. Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said that Europe, France, Cyprus and Turkey were discussing the situation. “It’s not really under our control,” Reuters cited him as saying.