TURKEY

The European Parliament report noted that no significant progress has been made in protecting the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, including the rights of the Greek Orthodox population of the islands of Imbros and Tenedos,

Greek exports to Turkey are paid directly in foreign currency and are not affected by the fall of the lira. Turkish export companies have little room for further price depression.

In the letter sent on Tuesday Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias referred to an incident on January 5, in which a Greek coast guard vessel was harassed by a Turkish patrol boat.

Borrell underlined that he will continue to defend this position whenever necessary and concluded his letter to the minister by assuring him of the European Union's solidarity with all its member-states and its continued support for the issue.

Mitsotakis explained that Greece has rescued tens of thousand of people who were at risk at sea, defending its borders as it has an obligation to do but also respecting fundamental human rights.

Despite "assurances from the Turkish side, we are witnessing an escalation of Turkish aggressive rhetoric, as well as unprecedented actions against our sovereignty and sovereign rights," said the Greek Foreign Affairs Minister.

Following his one-day visit to Israel on Thursday where he met separately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyaju and Israeli FM Gabi Ashkenazi, Dendias is scheduled to speak with several officials ahead of Friday's extraordinary online meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Mitsotakis also stressed that Greece is also mobilizing its diplomacy, notifying friendly nations and alerting allies and partners. "We are not alone in this effort. The immediate response of the European Union to our request to convene the Foreign Affairs Council confirms that this is not purely an issue of Greek-Turkish relations. It concerns the relations of all of Europe with Turkey," he said.

The greek minister said that The regime of the Greek islands is fully guaranteed according to the International Law and the Law of the Sea and of course it is an agreement that has totally fair characteristics, Gerapetritis said. Asked if the Greek side is expecting new provocations from Ankara, he said that "we are ready for all possibilities, there will be no holidays for us this year".

In an interview, Dendias spoke of Monday's EU Council of Foreign Affairs, which will discuss the issue of Turkey. He said he will also raise the issue of Turkey's decision this past week to convert World Heritage listed monument Hagia Sophia to a mosque, which he said should be addressed by the EU, UNESCO and the United Nations.