Greek newspaper’s website hacked to 'insult' Turkish President Erdogan

Amid the rising tensions between Athens and Ankara, a Greek newspaper's website appeared to be hacked after printing an expletive-laden headline that the Turkish government said insulted their country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Bloomberg, on September 19, the Dimokratia News homepage was replaced with a Turkish message that read, ‘The Turks are here, where are you?’ Within a few hours, the message was then removed, however, the website remained down. 

The incident prompted the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the Greek ambassador. After which the Greek Foreign Ministry reportedly condemned the use of insulting language. In a statement, the Greek officials said that it did not reflect the country’s political culture. 

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Tensions between Turkey and Greece 

Meanwhile, the tensions between Greece and Turkey have risen since Ankara resumed exploration for hydrocarbons in disputed waters in August. Athens, on the other hand, wants islands to be taken into account in the delineation of a country’s continental shelf, in line with the UN Law of Sea, which Turkey hasn’t signed. Ankara, however, believes that a country’s continental shelf would be measured from its mainland, which would put the Ara south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo, which is just a few kilometres off Turkey’s southern coast, within its exclusive zone. 

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European Union members Greece and Cyprus have accused Turkey of violating international law and of “gunboat diplomacy”. On the other hand, Turkey has insisted that it’s defending its rights and those of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots on the ethnically split island to their rightful share of the area’s potential gas deposits. Greece, however, has called upon the European Union to "show its teeth" and impose tough economic sanctions against Turkey, if the country refuses to remove its military vessels and drillships from waters in the eastern Mediterranean. 

NATO has also intervened in the ongoing conflict with the aim of starting talks between the two countries’ militaries to prevent a potential conflict. Reports suggest that Turkey has also been going through immense international pressure. However, it argues that the Greek islands which are close to its coastline should not extend maritime zones for oil and gas resources. 

(Image: AP) 

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