Distribution of ‘Made in Turkiye’ COVID masks in Greek parliament stirs debate among deputies: Report

ANKARA

Distribution of “Made in Turkiye” COVID-19 masks in the Greek parliament stirred a debate among lawmakers, according to media reports on Saturday.

At the beginning of her speech at the parliament, Liana Kanelli, a deputy with the Greek Communist Party (KKE), drew attention that high-protection FFP2 masks were Turkish-made, 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 Turkiye 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 Turkiye.

“We opened a public tender for supplying high-protection masks and eventually, a German company that gave the best bid won it, he said, adding: “However, we did not know that the German company has a factory in Turkey to produce masks, Tasoulas said.

He added that they would not have bought the masks if they knew they were made in Turkiye.