Tzitzikostas: Jokes what was reported from Turkey about the coincidence of my name with another

The regional governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, described as a joke what was reported about the coincidence of his name with another name of a person who is not allowed to enter Turkey.

In his statements to journalists, on the occasion of yesterday’s incident with the ban on his entry to Turkey, Mr. Tzitzikostas pointed out: “I cannot know what the Turks are thinking. But I can tell you that this act was an act of extreme provocation towards not only a Greek official but also a European official because I was there in my European capacity.” At the same time, he said: “The Turkish authorities checked my identity, my passport and all my diplomatic European documents. They have absolutely no excuse, because from the time of the thorough inspection to the time when it was announced that the ban on my entry to Turkey would be lifted, 6 to 7 hours passed.” of his entry into Turkey

During those hours, as he said, he was at a customs office in the port of Smyrna and on the ship.

Regarding the attitude of the Turkish authorities throughout this incident, he pointed out that it was not provocative, but he emphasized that “it was clear as the entry of a Greek European citizen and official into the country was prohibited”. In any case, he emphasized that as soon as the Turkish authorities informed him that there is a ban on his entry into Turkey, he decided to return to Greece.

Describing the incident in detail, Mr. Tzitzikostas noted: “Yesterday morning, around 10, I arrived with the new ferry connection between Thessaloniki and Smyrna, by ship, at the port of Smyrna. During the passport control, I was informed by the Turkish authorities that there is a ban on my entry into Turkey, without giving any explanation at all.

I immediately contacted the Greek Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the consular and diplomatic authorities, both of Greece and the European Union, because I was in the region as president of the Euro-Mediterranean Assembly of the European Committee of the Regions.

After several hours of my stay at the customs office of the port of Izmir and after pressure exerted by all sides, the Turkish government and the authorities there informed me that the ban on my entry into Turkey has been lifted. Nevertheless, I had already decided that after this most provocative attitude of Turkey, I would leave and return to Greece”.

He emphasized: “when we are on a mission abroad we do not represent ourselves, we represent all Greeks. And I assure you that there is no way I will ever accept any insult at the expense of any Greek, because for me the dignity of the Greeks is non-negotiable”. At the same time, he thanked, for their support, the Greek government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias with whom he returned from Izmir, the diplomatic and consular authorities of Greece and the European Union in Turkey and the political parties that issued relevant announcements.

Regarding Turkey’s stance, he said: “these provocative actions by Turkey deepen the gap that separates it from the European Union. We as Regions, as Municipalities are here to act as bridges between peoples, to build partnerships for the benefit of citizens. And that’s what we will continue to do.”

After all, answering questions from journalists, he noted that the mayor of Istanbul and the mayor of Izmir contacted him, which, as he said, “really shows that there is another person in Turkey.”

In fact, he pointed out that the people of the mayor of Smyrna who were there from the first moment to welcome him, since he responded to their own invitation, supported him throughout this difficult course of these 6-7 hours that he was between an office at the customs Smyrna and the ship.

Regarding Turkey’s attitude, he said: “Turkey, which is trying and we are all trying to keep close to the Western way of life, must understand that in this way it is constantly moving away from what it had set as its goal.” In addition, he announced that “the matter is now in the hands of the collective bodies of the EU”. “The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already sent a question about the reasons why there was this ban on my person to enter Turkey, and we are waiting for the Turkish government in the next few days to see if it intends to give any fundamentally serious answer about this incident” he added.

Regarding his decision to return to Greece, he stated that from the first moment when the Turkish authorities informed him that there was a ban on his entry into Turkey, he decided to leave and was looking for ways to leave.

RES-EMP

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