Admiral Kosmas Christidis has claimed that the Greek armed forces are fully capable of taking on Turkey militarily, as tensions remain high between the two countries in the Mediterranean.
The former chief of the general staff of the Greek navy said that the current tensions between Greece and Turkey — caused by Turkish moves to conduct seismic surveys in Greek territory — remind him of the Aegean crisis in 1987.
War was narrowly avoided in 1987 and tensions were also caused by disputes over access to potential natural energy reserves.
Speaking to Greek media, Admiral Chrisidis said that he believed in a policy of deterrence toward Turkey.
“It is not a question of sinking the Hora or the Oruc Reis, but of making Turkey understand that this is not acceptable,” he said, according to Sigma TV.
When asked about the potential for military conflict between Turkey and Greece, the Admiral said: “I never believe in numbers games. I am not a warmonger, but I will say this: the missiles that the Greek nation has (Greece and Cyprus, included) can sink the Turkish fleet twice. We are very well trained.”
The comments come after Greece put its armed forces on alert after Turkey issued a Navtex signal stating the Oruc Reis would be conducting seismic surveys in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Following the issuing of the Navtex alert, Turkish fighter jets made a total of 82 incursions into Greek territory, with 14 of them taking place in the area where the Oruc Reis intends to conduct its research. Eight virtual air battled also took place between Greek and Turkish aircraft.
Both the European Union and French president Emmanuel Macron have slammed Turkey’s moves in the Mediterranean, with the latter saying he would support potential sanctions against the Islamist-led country.
“I stand fully behind Cyprus and Greece in the face of the Turkish violations of their sovereignty. It is unacceptable that the maritime space of member states be violated and threatened,” President Macron said at a press conference with Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.