Question for written answer E-002545/2020 to the Commission Rule 138 Ioannis Lagos Subject: Shameless effrontery on the part of Turkey Just days after large-scale interdisciplinary manoeuvres were carried out by the Turkish armed forces in the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish newspaper Sözcü is quoting accusations by Ankara that Greece is conducting exercises in the sea area between Pserimos and Agathonisi in the south-east Aegean, following this up with the claim that these Greek islands are in fact ‘Turkish territory’. At the same time, Umit Yalim, a retired colonel and former Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Defence, has told the Sözcü newspaper that Turkey will be forced to take official action and possibly even lodge a complaint with NATO regarding the actions of Greece. Speaking on behalf of an institute that is considered to be the official Turkish government think tank, Yalim asks the Turkish authorities: ‘Will the Greek ambassador be summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and given a warning? Will the Turkish naval forces take action in the area?’ Yalim is considered a leading advocate of the brand of Turkish revisionism now being espoused by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, maintaining that Greece is illegally occupying 18 islands, islets and rocky outcrops in the Aegean Sea, while seeking to adduce ‘official’ documentation in support of this claim. In view of this: Can the Commission say what action it will take to defend an EU Member State whose borders are being challenged by Turkey, a country that has ridden roughshod over all international agreements? PE651.547v01-00.