Reports: Athens Condemns Turkish Nationalist Leader for 'Provocation' Regarding Territorial Dispute

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Greek Foreign Ministry has condemned on Sunday the demonstration by Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli of a map showing half of the Aegean Sea and Crete under Turkey's control, AMNA news agency reported, citing ministry sources.

The criticism was triggered by photos made during Bahceli's visit to the headquarters of the Turkish nationalist organization Grey Wolves, where he was photographed next to a map depicting part of the Greek territory as Turkish.

According to the sources, public posting of such images by a top official of the MHP, which is a partner of Turkey’s ruling coalition, is an aggressive and provocative action, which challenges Greek territorial integrity, the report said.

The sources in the ministry added that this act is part of an escalation of the "extreme Turkish rhetoric" that is "witnessed on a daily basis," and that Greece expects an immediate and public condemnation of the action.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (R) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahceli (L) pose for a photograph during their meeting at Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) in Ankara, on August 01, 2016

© AFP 2023 / STR

In recent months, Turkey has demanded that Greece end the militarization of the Eastern Aegean Islands. According to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the militarization of the islands is a violation of long-standing international treaties, and Turkey is determined to challenge their sovereignty if Greece does not stop violations.

Athens and Ankara have been trying to improve their complicated relations for years. The countries were on the brink of an armed conflict three times in the summer of 2020. Greece had to mobilize its military after Turkey launched seismic exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, the area that Athens considers its exclusive economic zone.