Greek PM pays tribute to Imia standoff fatalities

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid tribute on Wednesday to the three Greek Navy officers who lost their lives during the Imia crisis, which brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war 28 years ago.

“We honour the heroes Christodoulos Karathanasis, Panagiotis Vlahakos, and Ektoras Gialopsos, who sacrificed themselves in Imia for the freedom, integrity, and sovereignty of the homeland.

The fateful day of January 31, 1996, will remind everyone of the importance of devotion to national duty,” Mitsotakis said in a social media post.

Turkey, which disputed the sovereignty of the uninhabited islets in the eastern Aegean, managed to land, undetected, a contingent of special forces on one of them on the night of January 27-28. A Greek helicopter sent to investigate crashed and the three naval aviators in it were killed. 

Source: ekathimerini.com