  Greece demands Turkish compensation for 1990s forest firesDecember 28, 2011 - 09:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Greece requested clarifications from Turkey on Monday, Dec. 26, regarding former Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz’s statements over a “Turkish link” to devastating forest fires in Greece in the past. “The Greek side awaits to be informed on the matter by the relevant Turkish authorities,” said Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Gregory Delavekouras, commenting on Yilmaz’s allegations that during the premiership of Tansu Ciller in mid 1990s Turkish MIT agents had been starting forest fires in Greece. In an interview with Turkish daily Birgun, the Turkish former Premier referred to a state report on the arsons, implying a possible retaliation for the Greek stance of the Kurdish issue. Greece suffers from many catastrophic forest fires every summer that are linked to arsonists in many cases. In the past Greek secret services pointed to the neighbor NATO ally and arch-rival Turkey for some forest fires, but there was no tangible evidence to support the claim. Greece’s conservative New Democracy party and rightist Popular Orthodox Rally party, two of the parties backing the interim government of Lucas Papademos, asked current Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to provide full details on the issue and compensation for the damage caused, if the story will be confirmed, Defencegreece reported.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24  U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan.Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says.Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |
