Greek Defence Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos
Greece’s Defence Ministry categorically denied last week’s news report that the Greek Ministry of Defence had decided to buy 50 drones made by a Turkish company and even threatened Greek media who spread the fake news.
On July 30th we published in good faith a story posted in a reputable mainstream Turkish newspaper, The Daily Sabah, which stated that ‘Turkish-made drones that are used primarily in search and rescue or mine detection operations are ready to enter Greek Armed Forces’ inventory with a signed preliminary agreement.’
Greek Defence Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos went to Twitter to also reaffirm Greece’s denial.
“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,” he said, adding a link with an official statement from the Greek Ministry of Defence.
“From the end of May, targeted leaks are made to foreign and Greek media, without, however, being confirmed or documented with data,” Greek Ministry of Defence statement said.
“Information circulating on the internet, especially from news websites, should be confirmed very carefully before being reproduced internally. This is required by the basic Rules of Journalistic Ethics, especially when it comes to sensitive issues related to the field of National Defence and Security,” the statement added.
“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, in accordance with Article 191 of the Criminal Code and Law 4619/19,” it concluded.
Source: Greek City Times