Efthimios "Makis" Triantafyllopoulos, had claimed, via various posts on his social media account, that Estonia was a "fascist" state which oppresses its Russian-speaking minority.

The Ambassador of Greece to Estonia, H.E. Manolis Apostolakis, has responded to Triantafyllopoulos' comments and the ensuing media reports, in a statement which he kindly provided to ERR News, as follows.

I would also like to underline that all the views expressed in the M. Triantafyllopoulos' tweets are totally personal, and in no way do they reflect the official positions of Greece.

May I also stress that Estonia and Greece, which this year celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations, are both EU member states and NATO allies and are linked with long-lasting bonds of friendship based on the many common principles and values they share, among which the respect for international law, democracy and the rule of law and human rights, including the freedom of expression and of the media, rank highly.

Indeed, the bonds between Greece and Estonia and our peoples, as do every bond based on fundamental values, run deeply and strongly and cannot be affected whatsoever by any personal and unsubstantiated views. 

Triantafyllopoulos' tweets had been reproduced, together with various responses on twitter, together with a rebuttal of his claims, on the anti-propaganda, Defense League-run Propastop site.

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