Greece has deployed armored vehicles to the Aegean Islands with non-military status contrary to international law, reports said Sunday. It was noteworthy that the landing ships sent military vehicles donated by the United States to Lesbos and Samos.
The activities of Greece in violation of international law toward the demilitarized islands were observed.
According to information received from security sources, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) performing mission flights in the Aegean detected a movement and determined that two Greek landing craft were on the way to Lesbos and Samos.
It was revealed that the ships in question delivered 23 tactical-wheeled armored vehicles to Lesbos and 18 tactical-wheeled armored vehicles to Samos. It was noteworthy that the armored vehicles were among the vehicles sent to Alexandroupoli (Dedeağaç) Port by the U.S.
Security sources described these events on Sept. 18 and Sept. 21 as the clearest indication that Greece continues to arm the islands close to Türkiye, violating their legal status.
The sources stated that weapons donated by the U.S. especially were attempted to be placed on the islands. They evaluated these aggressive actions of Greece, which is a NATO ally, as being against international law and the spirit of alliance, and as "never acceptable" against the calls for dialogue and good neighborliness.
Emphasizing that Greece has violated the non-military status of these two islands for many years and deployed weapons there, security sources pointed out that with these latest shipments, the tactical wheeled armored vehicles donated by the U.S. have replaced some of the vehicles on these islands.
Recalling Türkiye's efforts to find solutions to problems within the scope of dialogue and international law, as well as its invitations to come together for a solution, they said, "The fact that Greece does not even attend the meetings despite all the invitations and makes such provocations is a clear indicator of who is increasing the tension and who is engaged in uncompromising, aggressive and unlawful activities."
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 treaties, saying that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts for peace.
Türkiye and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
Ankara accuses Athens of illegally militarizing Greek islands in the East Aegean and questions Greece’s sovereignty over them. There is also a dispute over the exploitation of mineral resources in the Aegean.
Since the beginning of 2022, Greek warplanes have violated Turkish airspace 256 times and harassed Turkish jets on 158 occasions, and Greek coast guard boats also violated Turkish territorial waters 33 times.
Among the most recent developments that flared tensions was the harassment by two Greek coast guard boats opening fire on a cargo ship in international waters, continued pushbacks by Greek elements recorded by Turkish UAVs as well as the harassment of Turkish fighter jets under a NATO mission by Greece’s Russian-made S-300s.
It was reported recently that Turkish jets on a reconnaissance mission, flying in international airspace, had been harassed by a Greek defense system stationed on Crete.
Türkiye is planning to submit to NATO and its allies the radar logs showing how a Greek S-300 air defense system harassed Turkish F-16 jets during a mission in international airspace, sources said. Türkiye has also lodged a protest and demanded an explanation and investigation from Greece into an incident that was "totally in violation of international laws."
Mitsotakis speech
Most recently, Türkiye on Friday criticized Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for his remarks against Ankara at the U.N. General Assembly.
"Unfortunately, this statement was yet another example of distortion of facts and hostile narrative against Türkiye. Türkiye's role in its region and beyond is well appreciated by the international community," the Turkish delegation said.
It came after the Greek premier on Friday claimed in his address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York that Türkiye "continues to play a destabilizing role in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Caucasus."
The Turkish delegation further said Ankara has implemented the sanctions mandated by the U.N. Security Council.
It is a "double standard to accuse Türkiye of not imposing sanctions, while Greece itself circumvents other sanctions through the practice of tanker-to-tanker oil transfer operations," they said.
The delegation also said Türkiye does not challenge the territorial integrity or unity of Greece, calling it "false propaganda."
"However, Türkiye does challenge Greece to enter into an honest and meaningful dialogue in accordance with international law to address not one but all legally interrelated Aegean disputes."
They also pointed out that Greece has been threatening Türkiye with the unilateral extension of the 6 nautical-meter territorial sea limits in the Aegean Sea since June 1995.
"This grave threat has recently been reinforced with the increasing militarization of Eastern Aegean Islands contrary to international treaties," the Turkish delegation said.
"The current negative atmosphere" in Ankara-Athens relations is a "deliberate choice of Greece," they said. "They have chosen provocative actions and escalatory rhetoric almost on a daily basis, as opposed to cooperation and good-neighborliness. It is the Greek side that has frozen the bilateral and NATO Confidence Building Measures talks."
The delegation also called on Greece to stop migrant pushbacks in the Aegean Sea.
Greece's "degrading and life-threatening" attitude toward irregular migrants has been documented not only by Türkiye but also by many international and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), they said.
"Türkiye will continue to support the Turkish Cypriot people and their inherent rights, namely sovereign equality and equal international status," they added.