"The night of January 31, 1996, in Imia, was deeply written in the national collective memory," PASOK-Movement for Change leader Nikos Androulakis stated at the 30th anniversary of the Imia crisis when Christodoulos Karathanasis, Panagiotis Vlachakos and Hector Gialopsos lost their lives in the line of duty.
"It has been proven that Turkiye's illegal claims are not rhetorical figures but real provocations that cannot be tolerated," he added.
Androulakis also emphasized in his statement that on today's "30th anniversary of the Imia crisis, we proclaim that our national sovereignty is indisputable. There are no gray areas in the Aegean. A case-by-case respect for international law is not acceptable."
"These are the timeless foundations of our foreign policy, built on solid principles and not on the aspirations of the parliamentary majority at any given time," he said.