欧美文化:Greece to challenge EU agency approval of use of "Turkaegean" term by Turkey

ATHENS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Greece will challenge a decision of the European Union Intellectual Property Office to approve Turkey's application to register the term "Turkaegean" for commercial use within the EU, Greek government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said on Tuesday.

For Athens the decision has no political connotations, but it is an unfair commercial practice, he said speaking to Greek SKAI television.

The EU agency responsible for trademarks granted the trademark to Turkish authorities last December with effect until the summer of 2031 and the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency is using it in a new tourism campaign to promote the "Aegean Region of Turkey," Greek newspaper "Kathimerini" noted.

The two neighboring countries are at odds for decades over a series of issues including boundaries in the Aegean Sea.