Foreign Ministry spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras stated the following in response to a journalist’s question regarding the search being carried out by Turkish vessels in the area south of Chios for the retrieval of a Turkish military aircraft:
“The Foreign Ministry has of course been notified by the Turkish authorities regarding the search being carried out, in international waters, in the area south of Chios, aimed at the location and retrieval of a Turkish military aircraft – which crashed in 1996 – and the body of the its pilot.
The Foreign Ministry has already proceeded to the appropriate diplomatic actions with regard to the Turkish side to ensure that the Turkish search is carried out within the framework of international law, concurrently expressing Greece’s readiness, should the need arise, to assist the efforts to locate and retrieve the aircraft.
Finally, it is understandable that the competent Greek authorities are monitoring the matter closely.”
April 15, 2014