Kouvelis: Turkey made up story about taking down Greek flag

Turkey made up the story about its coast guard taking down a Greek flag on an islet in the southeastern Aegean after a Turkish helicopter was chased off from the area of Ro, Alternate Defense Minister Fotis Kouvelis said on Tuesday.

"There was no incident of the Turkish coast guard or special forces taking down the flag. The removal of the flag was not the result of any such action," he told Thema radio.

"We had an incident on Ro where the Greek guard brilliantly managed to chase off a Turkish helicopter. Maybe [Turkey] made up this 'news' story to offest what they saw as negative for them," Kouvelis added, speaking of a "deliberate escalation of tensions."

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that the Turkish coast guard had removed a Greek flag that had been raised on the Aegean islet, off the coast of the Turkish resort town of Didim.