FM says Ukraine war spilling over into Mediterranean ‘will not be tolerated’

Greece connected Wednesday escalated diplomatic unit connected Kyiv aft a suspected Ukrainian naval drone was discovered disconnected the land of Lefkada past week, with Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis saying that “any transformation of the Mediterranean into a theater of subject operations will not beryllium tolerated.” 

Following talks successful Athens with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlic Radman, Gerapetritis added that “Greece will guarantee that the Mediterranean remains untouched by subject operations and remains a oversea of peace, a oversea belonging to its peoples.”

The remarks reflected Athens’ increasing interest implicit the incidental involving a naval drone recovered adjacent the Ionian land of Lefkada connected Thursday, an occurrence Greek officials view arsenic grounds of the increasing risks posed by the war successful Ukraine extending beyond the Black Sea.

Gerapetritis besides said the European Union faced unprecedented information challenges aft 4 years of progressive conflicts crossed the wider region.

“The top challenge, of course, is preventing the spread of the wars that are troubling our neighborhood,” helium said.

Greek officials person intensified calls for explanations from Kyiv successful caller days, with Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and authorities spokesman Pavlos Marinakis besides publically raising concerns.

Athens maintains the oversea drone was deployed successful Greece’s territorial waters by Ukraine successful an evident effort to strike a Russian vessel successful the Mediterranean. Ukrainian authorities person twice denied having accusation astir the vessel, which was packed with explosives.

During a videoconference Tuesday betwixt defence ministers from the EU’s 27 subordinate states and Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov declined to remark when Dendias raised the issue, Greek officials said. Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said Kyiv had nary accusation regarding the drone discovered successful Greece.

Investigations into the instrumentality are continuing astatine facilities successful Skaramagas adjacent Athens, where subject authorities are examining the drone’s systems and ngo data. Greek officials person preliminarily identified the vessel arsenic a Mamai-type kamikaze naval drone, a exemplary widely used by Ukrainian forces successful the Black Sea during the war.

Initial work focused connected removing explosives and detonators from the drone, which is present being held astatine the facilities of Greece’s Underwater Demolition Command. The probe is being led by the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, though seashore defender unit carried retired some archetypal inspections.

Greek authorities are seeking accelerated conclusions from the enquiry arsenic diplomatic contacts with Kyiv continue. Athens has besides briefed adjacent allies successful some NATO and the EU astir what it sees arsenic the dangers of immoderate enlargement of the Black Sea struggle into the Mediterranean oregon Aegean seas.

Greek officials are peculiarly acrophobic astir the economical and biology consequences of immoderate aboriginal onslaught adjacent the country’s coastline, including the anticipation of strikes connected commercialized tankers operating successful adjacent waters.