The Greek government sent letters to NATO and the United Nations on Wednesday, complaining about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "aggressive" statements and asking the bodies to condemn Ankara's actions.
Earlier this week, the European Union expressed concern about Erdoğan's comments after he accused Greece of occupying demilitarized islands in the Aegean and warned that Türkiye is prepared to "do what's necessary" when the time comes.
Greek diplomatic sources said on Wednesday that Türkiye's letters distorted the facts, calling its arguments baseless and a violation of international law. According to Reuters, sources said that Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias also sent letters to the United Nations and NATO.
One local Greek newspaper reported that all the letters sent by Greece to the EU, NATO and U.N. had been received.
“These statements made to the public by the President of Türkiye are unjustified, unacceptable, and insulting to Greece and the Greek people. This general stance of Türkiye risks destabilizing our wider region and has consequences that are difficult to assess,” the letters sent to the international bodies read.
'Türkiye acts methodically and strategically'
On the other hand, Evangelos Apostolakis, who served as the chief of general staff and minister of defense during the rule of the main opposition Syriza party in Greece, evaluated Turkish-Greek relations in a live broadcast where he was a guest and emphasized that Greece should take Erdoğan's warnings seriously.
"It is extremely risky to argue that Erdoğan speaks like that because of the situation in Türkiye's domestic politics. Türkiye acts methodically and strategically," Apostolakis said.
He said Greece should not remain silent but also warned that the country must be careful as Ankara may want Athens to escalate tensions.
Earlier, a letter signed by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was sent to 25 capitals of the European Union, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council as well as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Explaining Türkiye's position and views on how to solve the issues in the Aegean, the letters also drew attention to Greece's unlawful actions and maximalist demands.
Emphasizing that there are a number of closely related and interrelated problems in the Aegean Sea, such as the breadth of territorial waters, national airspace and continental shelves, the letter also noted that Greece has violated the non-military status of the Eastern Aegean islands, according to the sources.
It also emphasized that Greece claims to have 10 nautical miles of airspace despite the width of its territorial waters in the Aegean being 6 nautical miles. The letter underlined that Greece is the only country in the world that has non-overlapping territorial waters as well as airspace borders that are not recognized by any other country.
Furthermore, Türkiye expressed that it believes issues in the Aegean can be resolved within the framework of international law through the mutual recognition of the fundamental rights and legitimate interests of the two countries.
According to the sources, the letter affirmed that Ankara is pro-dialogue and cooperation despite Athens avoiding talks and escalating tensions while bringing the EU into the Aegean equation.
According to Turkish Defense Ministry sources, Greece violated Türkiye's airspace and territorial waters over 1,100 times in the first eight months of 2022 alone.
Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under the Treaty of Lausanne, saying such moves frustrate its genuine efforts for peace.
