Listen to the news

Turkey has summoned Greece's ambassador and sent a note of protest to Washington over Athens' alleged deployment of American armored vehicles on two Aegean islands off the Turkish coast, Lesbos and Samos.

Turkey said yesterday that a Turkish military drone had captured footage showing Greece moving armored vehicles to islands in the Aegean Sea.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told the Greek envoy that Athens should "stop the violations" and respect the demilitarized status of the islands, guaranteed by international law, the Anadolu News Agency writes.

The Greek Prime Minister addressed the Turkish people: We are not enemies

In its note to the US embassy in Ankara, Turkey told Washington that "its weapons should not be used to violate" the agreed status of the islands.

The President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, accuses Greece of "occupying" the islands in the Aegean Sea, the status of which is regulated in the treaties concluded after the First World War, BNR reported.

In response, Athens accuses Turkey of deploying illegal military units on the islands.

Greece has lodged a formal complaint with the European Union, NATO and the United Nations after Erdogan hinted at a possible military operation in the Aegean Sea earlier this month.

Erdogan said today that Greece is not Turkey's equal and rejected the possibility of diplomatic negotiations.

He also vowed to defend Turkish interests with "all means available".

Turkey and Greece