The Greek government has expressed its formal protest to Turkey over the decision of the Turkish authorities to detain for six hours and ultimately expel the governor of the Greek region of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who intended to enter Izmir on Saturday.
Tzitzikostas arrived in Izmir by ferry from Thessaloniki at 11:30 a.m. Saturday to participate as co-chairman in the 13th Euro-Mediterranean General Assembly of Regions and Municipalities (ARLEM).
After spending six hours in detention he was finally forced to return to Greece on the grounds that he had been declared ‘persona non grata’. The Greek authorities later argued that the politician’s name was very similar to that of another person with whom he had been confused.
The Greek Foreign Ministry has called for immediate explanations for the «unacceptable and totally abusive detention» and the «ban on entering» the country.
Also the president of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, has criticized Turkey’s «simply unacceptable» decision. «I have asked the ARLEM office to address this issue at its next meeting and that there will be an appropriate response,» Cordeiro posted on Twitter.
«My full solidarity with the first vice-president of the European Committee of the Regions, who was detained upon entering Turkey to co-chair ARLEM,» he added.
