Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Turkey to refrain from provoking Greece, a statement which Ankara condemned.
A German government spokesman said on Wednesday: “The chancellor is of the opinion that, given the current situation, it is necessary for all NATO allies to stand together and refrain from provocations among themselves.”
“Invading Greek airspace and flying over Greek islands is not okay, it seems counterproductive and against the spirit of the alliance,” the spokesman added. “We cannot accept the questioning of the sovereignty of member states of the European Union.”
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Last month, Athens and Ankara traded accusations of over airspace violations with fighter jets.
Tensions between neighbours and fellow-NATO members Greece and Turkey increased since 2020 thanks to Ankara’s plans to explore for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned Scholz’s statement and said Ankara will continue to defend its sovereignty against airspace violations by Greece.
“We strongly condemn and reject baseless statements against our country by Germany's chancellor’s office. We expect Germany to invite Greece to act in accordance with international agreements, rather than making biased statements not in line with the spirit of alliance,” the ministry said in a statement.
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