Greece said that information from the Turkish defence company about purchasing 50 miniature tactical drones is fake. As the Greek Defence Ministry reported on Friday, the country has no plans to have such a deal with the Turkish Assuva Defence.
The Greek ministry firmly rejected the news on the deal with Istanbul-based private drone manufacturer Assuva Defence. The statement made by Remzi Basbug, CEO of the Turkish firm, and a subsequent news report by U.S. magazine Defense News that circulated in the Turkish media, the Greece defence ministry website says.
“Leaks of rumours and false news coming from foreign mass media that claim the Greek army intends to procure remote-controlled or unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkish manufacturers are categorically denied,” Defence Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said on Twitter on Thursday.
According to Mr Basbug, Assuva Defence Co had obtained all necessary export licenses to send to Greece Proton Elic RB-128 drones. Those miniature flying devices are used primarily in search and rescue or mine detection operations. Among their additional functions is detecting explosives, landmines, chemical materials and underground bunkers.
“From the end of May, targeted leaks are being made to foreign and Greek media, without, however, being confirmed or documented with data,” the Greek Defence Ministry said in a statement cited by the Greek City Times.
The Greek ministry warned the local media services about publishing such information, Ahval says. To avoid chaos, any data or news circulating on the internet, should be confirmed or fact-checked very carefully before being reproduced internally, the Greek top defence minister warned.
“If this does not happen, then the Ministry of National Defence reserves all its legal right to deal with the spread of false news and influence public opinion,” Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos promised.
