“Our position on this issue is clear, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greece is not in question,” notes a State Department representative regarding the release by Tayyip Erdogan’s government partner of a Turkish map depicting several Aegean islands as well as the Crete as Turkish lands.
It is recalled that the president of the Nationalist Action Party, Devlet Bakhceli, was photographed with this particular map during his visit to the offices of the Gray Wolves, which are the offshoot of his party.
Responding to a question from Greek correspondents about whether Washington is concerned about the consolidation of a nationalist and revisionist climate in the neighboring country, the State Department representative clarified in the clearest way that for the US Greece’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are not in question.
Continuing, he reiterated Washington’s steadfast position, which calls on the two NATO allies to work diplomatically to resolve their differences and refrain from rhetoric that could lead to a rekindling of tensions.
As he noted, “we continue to encourage our NATO allies, Greece and Turkey, to work together to maintain peace and security in the region and to resolve disputes in a diplomatic manner. We urge our allies to avoid rhetoric and actions that could further escalate tensions.”
