Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis sent a direct warning to Ankara on Monday, saying Greece will deploy frigate...

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis sent a direct warning to Ankara on Monday, saying Greece will deploy frigates and upgraded F-16s if Turkey attempts to block operations in the Kasos area, including cable-laying activities in waters Greece considers sovereign. Speaking on OPEN TV, Gerapetritis used his sharpest language yet on the Turkey file. "We are vigilant, but we are not worried. And we are not worried because we have the power to impose our national interests in any field," he said. He added that Greece now holds the initiative in the relationship, with Ankara forced to react to Greek moves rather than the other way around. The minister defended the government's "calm waters" diplomatic approach, but made clear it has never meant concessions. Greece would continue talking to Turkey because "we must talk to every neighbor," he said, but those channels of communication do not come at the price of Greek sovereignty positions. He warned that cutting off dialogue entirely could prove dangerous given current global instability. On the question of Turkey potentially disrupting Greek energy research or underwater cable operations near Kasos, Gerapetritis was direct. "Greece will fully exercise its sovereign rights. And today more than ever," he said, confirming that naval and air assets would be deployed if the situation required it. Gerapetritis also pushed back on criticism from opposition party PASOK and from former prime ministers Antonis Samaras and Kostas Karamanlis, calling some of the attacks "irresponsible" and pointing out that Samaras himself had met with Erdogan and traveled to Turkey during a period when airspace violations were being recorded. He noted that Greece has already formally notified European authorities of Turkey's recent actions and that official steps at the Foreign Affairs Council are coming in the days ahead. His summary of Greece's current posture was blunt. "Greece no longer watches. Greece acts," he said. "The era of inaction for Greece is over." #Greece #Turkey #Aegean