Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on Thursday accused neighboring Turkey of posing a direct military threat to Greece, following comments by his Turkish counterpart on Ankara's regional interests.
Dendias said that this highlights the need for the Greek military to boost its deterrent powers.
"There exists a threat," he said at the unveiling of a refurbished wing of a military hospital in Athens financed by a private donation.
"And if we sometimes forget it, our neighbors across the sea are kind enough to explicitly remind us ...
They don't even hint at it, they say it."
