Regarding the escalation of the Turkish aggression, the General Secretary of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece Dimitris Koutsoumbas made the following statement:

"The latest events consist an escalation of the Turkish aggression, after the formalization of Turkey's claims during the recent visit of Erdogan in Greece. Before the- day before yesterday- collision of the Turkish ship, we had:

- Continuous encirclement of islets by Turkish ships

- Nearly a collision of a Turkish ship with a Greek gunboat

- Intervention of Turkish ships during the wreath laying in Imia by the Minister of Defense

- Also, ban by Turkish warships of the movement of the Italian drilling rig in Cyprus EEZ.

The recent hit on a Greek ship isn't accidental. It seems that the situation will escalate further, with the immediate danger being the intensification of the crisis in the Aegean, which will also include issues of "research and rescue", overall sovereign rights.
As the KKE European Parliament Group mentioned in a question to the High Representative of the EU on Foreign Policy, Mrs. Mongherini, the rammed Greek ship was participating in an EU-funded operation and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, while at the same time, as we all know, a NATO force also operates in the Aegean.

Therefore, it is confirmed once again that the NATO and EU imperialist organizations, as well as the upgrading of the Greek government's relations with the USA and NATO, not only do not consistute a factor of stability and security for our people, a guarantee of our sovereign rights as the government proclaims, but only a factor of intensification, further dangers and warfare involvements".

15.02.2018