President: Greece won’t accept challenges to sovereignty

Sending out a message to Turkey yesterday, President Katerina Sakellaropoulou reiterated during visits to the southeast Aegean islands of Agathonisi and Leipsoi that Greece will not accept challenges to its national territory. In what was desribed as a symbolic visit to a surveillance post on Agathonisi near the Turkish sea border, she said that ‘thanks to the frontline fighters, the Greeks can feel safe and secure that our country is and will remain a pillar of peace and stability in the wider area.’ She stressed that Greece has long sought good-neighborly relations and cooperation with Turkey and is investing in the peaceful coexistence and cooperation of the two peoples. ‘However, it is not prepared to relinquish its sovereign rights or accept disputes over national territory,’ she said.