The regional governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tsitsikostas, called the reports of the Turkish authorities about the coincidence of his name with another name of a person who is banned from entering Turkey a joke.

Speaking to reporters about yesterday’s incident with the ban on his entry into Turkey, Mr. Tsitsikostas said: “I can’t know what the Turks are thinking. But I can tell you that this act was one extreme provocation I ran into 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 excuses because between 6 and 7 hours passed from the moment of the check to the moment when it was announced that my ban on entering Turkey would be lifted.”

During these hours, he said, he was at customs in the port of Smyrna and inside the ship. As soon as the Turkish authorities informed him that he was banned from entering Turkey, he decided to return to Greece.

Describing the incident in detail, Mr. Tsitsikostas noted: “Yesterday morning, around 10 o’clock, I arrived with a new ferry service between Thessaloniki and Smyrna by ship to the port of Smyrna. At passport control, I was informed by the Turkish authorities about the ban on my entry into Turkey, without giving any explanation at all. I immediately contacted the Prime Minister of Greece, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as the consular and diplomatic authorities of both Greece and the European Union, since I was in the region in my capacity as President of the Euro-Mediterranean Assembly of the European Committee of the Regions. After several hours of my stay at the customs of the port of Izmir and after pressure from all sides, the Turkish government and local authorities informed me that the ban on my entry into Turkey had been lifted. However, I have already decided that after such an extremely provocative attitude from Turkey, I will leave and return to Greece.”

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

Regarding Turkey’s position, he said:These provocative actions by Turkey deepen the gulf separating it from the European Union.. We, as regions, as municipalities, are here to act as bridges between people, to build partnerships for the benefit of citizens. And that’s what we will continue to do.”

Answering relevant questions from journalists, Mr. Tsitsikostas noted that he was contacted by the mayor of Istanbul and the mayor of Izmir, which, according to him, “really indicates that there is another person in Turkey.” In fact, he indicated that the people of the Mayor of Smyrna, who were there from the very beginning to greet him as he responded to their own invitation, supported him throughout this difficult journey of those 6-7 hours during which he was between the Smyrna customs office and the ship.

Regarding Turkey’s attitude, he said: “Turkey, which is trying, and we are all trying to stick to the Western way of life, must understand that in this way it is constantly moving away from what it has set as its goal.” In addition, he stated that “the issue is now in the hands of the collegial bodies of the EU.” “The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already sent a question about the reasons for the ban on my person from entering Turkey, and we are waiting in the coming days for the Turkish government to find out if it intends to give any elementary serious answer about this incident,” he added.

Source: RES-IPE