Faced with new Turkish-Greek tensions, Paris reaffirms its support for Athens

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis receives French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, in Athens, September 6, 2022. © Thanassis Stavrakis / AP

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1 min

After passing through Turkey on Monday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna paid a visit to Greece on Tuesday, September 6.

This diplomatic trip comes at a time when the relationship between the two neighboring countries is experiencing a new resurgence of tension, against the backdrop of border disputes.

During a press conference with her Greek counterpart, the head of French diplomacy recalled the mutual assistance clause which unites Paris and Athens.

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With our correspondent in Athens,

Joël Bronner

Greek diplomacy is currently in the process of alerting the world to the bellicose Turkish remarks and the threatening tone used against it.

Relations between Turkey and Greece are historically tense and

regularly marked by verbal skirmishes

, which threaten to slide into real conflict if there is a spark. 

It was this time at the end of August that the tone escalated, when Ankara accused a Greek anti-aircraft system S-300 of having aimed its missiles at Turkish F16 fighter jets, which Athens denies .

Turkish

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has since been particularly threatening towards the Greek islands

that border Turkey, saying that " 

when the time comes, we will do what is necessary

[...]

we could come suddenly one night 

".

A threat of invasion therefore.

In Athens, Catherine Colonna, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, therefore recalled Paris' support for our European neighbour: " 

France has always been on the side of Greece - and Cyprus - when necessary and when attacks on sovereignty can be part of the temptations of neighboring countries. 

»

The minister also mentioned the strategic partnership between Paris and Athens, which contains a mutual assistance clause in the event of external aggression.

This while recalling that the work of diplomacy is precisely to avoid reaching such extremes.

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