Foreign Ministry slams Turkish entry ban for Greek official

The Foreign Ministry strongly criticized Turkish authorities’ decision to deny entry and detain a Greek regional governor on Saturday, describing it as “unacceptable and totally abusive.”

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who is the Governor of Central Macedonia Region and the First Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), travelled by sea on the day from Thessaloniki to Izmir, to attend the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of the Committee of the Regions.

When he reached the port city, Turkish authorities stopped him from entering the country and also reportedly kept him detained in an office for six hours. The Greek governor was given no explanation for being denied entry to Turkey.

Speaking on the phone with Deputy Minister of the Interior for Macedonia-Thrace Stavros Kalafatis, Tzitzikostas said that this action was entirely unprovoked. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias were also immediately informed of the incident, along with the European Union.

“We expect the relevant Turkish authorities to give an immediate explanation and we call on them to take the necessary measures to avoid similar incidents in the future,” the Foreign Ministry said.

“The Greek Embassy in Ankara, as well as the Greek Consulate General in Izmir were mobilized from the first moment, making the relevant complaints to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” it added.

Tzitzikostas will return to Thessaloniki.