Distribution of "Made in Turkiye" COVID-19 masks to Greek deputies triggered anger in the country's parliament, according to media reports on Saturday.
At the beginning of her speech in parliament, Liana Kanelli, a deputy with the Greek Communist Party (KKE), drew attention to the high-protection FFP2 masks being Turkish made, the Greek news outlet In reported.
"The masks you distributed to us in parliament are from Turkey. It says ‘Made in Turkiye.' It's not bad. But although migrants from Turkey cannot get through, commercial interests are passing through," she said.
Speaking on the matter, Greek Parliament Speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas confirmed that the masks were made in Turkey.
"We opened a public tender for supplying high-protection masks and eventually, a German company that gave the best bid won it," he said and added, "However, we did not know that the German company has a factory in Turkey to produce masks."
He also noted that they would not have bought the masks if they knew they were made in Turkey.
Turkey and Greece have been at odds due to several issues. Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims made by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration. It has stressed that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Instead of opting to solve problems with Turkey through dialogue, Greece, on several occasions, has refused to sit at the negotiation table and chosen to rally the European Union to take a tougher stance against Ankara.
The countries resumed high-level diplomatic talks in January for the first time in nearly five years to try and ease tension over long-standing boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. But they remain sharply at odds, and Greece has launched a multibillion-dollar military modernization program with large naval and air force orders from France and the United States.
The Greek parliament in October ratified a defense deal struck with France for the purchase of three French-made Belharra frigates, an agreement criticized by Turkey.
In September, Greece also announced that it was planning to buy another six Rafale fighter aircraft as tensions continue to flare with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.
