Turkey has banned the landing on the Greek island of Lesbos of a helicopter carrying German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen claiming Lesbos is a demilitarized zone.
The German official has played a decisive role in the signing of the agreement between Greece and Turkey according to which NATO ships would monitor the activities of refugee smugglers in the Aegean waters between the two countries and help coast guards. The agreement is part of the effort to stem the massive migrant flows coming from the Turkish shores and landing on nearby Greek islands.
Ursula von der Leyen is to be accompanied by a delegation of German journalists in order to record the situation on Lesbos, where the majority of refugees arrive on a daily basis. The German official asked to land on the island’s Mytilene Port by army helicopter from the NATO warship Bonn, which is operating in the area. Then she would sail on Bonn in the area between Chios and Lesbos, entering Turkish waters.
However, Ankara refused to grant permission of the army helicopter to land on Mytilene on the grounds that the island belongs in a demilitarized zone.
The incident comes right after Turkish authorities refused to give Bonn permission to enter the country’s territorial waters.
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