Message to the neighboring country Turkey sent today Friday November 11th from Chios where he was, the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, representing the Government in the events for the 111 years since the liberation of the island from the Ottoman yoke.

“There are, he said, claims that our islands are resting on the Asian continental shelf. This is not the case, Chios, like all the Aegean islands, enjoys all the rights of International Law, i.e. continental shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles”.

Also, Mr. Dendias conveyed a message of support for Chios from the Greek Government, pointing out that this support does not only concern the economic activity of the island but first and foremost national sovereignty and sovereign rights. “The Hellenic Republic has a constitutional duty to defend these rights, which no Greek government is going to neglect,” said the Minister of National Defense.