Video of Greek army creates controversy in region

Video of Greek army creates controversy in region

Greece's ambassador to Macedonia said actions on the video are not consistent with the views of the Greek government or its citizens.

Greece's ambassador to Macedonia is distancing his government from a video posted on YouTube last month that appears to show Greek army soldiers chanting anti-Macedonian, anti-Albanian and anti-Turkish slogans during a military parade in Cyprus.

"The investigation will show what happened, where and when it happened. But I want to emphasise, and I said this in the ministry, what I saw on the video and what is heard is not in any way the official position of the Greek government, the Greek army or representative of the feelings of Greek society toward the citizens of your country," Ambassador Theocharis Lalakos said in an interview on Macedonian television.

Officials in Macedonia and Albania filed protests with Greece, saying such actions are not in line with European values and principles.

"Macedonia is a constructive partner and always open to dialogue. In the future, the state should make efforts to prevent such occurrences of intolerance that damage good neighbourly relations. We call on the Greek authorities to take measures to condemn such actions that are not in the spirit of European values," Gabriel Atanasov, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told SETimes.

The Albania foreign ministry is also involved.

"We have officially delivered our concern about the video and its contents. It's not comfortable for an army of a neighbouring country, a NATO allied partner, to hold forth calls of a nationalistic character. These images do not represent the real relations and excellent co-operation between the two...