Greece's recent attitude opposing Türkiye is inexplicable, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday as he underlined that Athens is constantly complaining to NATO about Ankara and trying to create threatening mechanisms.
Addressing Turkish press members on his way back from a three-day Balkan diplomacy tour, Erdoğan said: "On the one hand, there are violations they have committed in the Aegean, there has been harassment against our aircraft, some of which are performing NATO missions, there are intrusive actions, including radar locking with S-300 missiles. Have you ever heard anything about Greece's S-300s from those who talked about our S-400 incident? The S-300s are also Russia's, and the S-400s are Russia's. But there are no comments."
Greece continues to arm the islands near the Turkish coasts in violation of the non-military status established by agreements, he said, adding: "At the same time, of course, there is the establishment of bases. The United States is leading this. When we go to the United Nations General Assembly, if we have the opportunity to meet with the president (Joe Biden), the steps taken by the United States at this point will be mentioned and we will talk about these issues."
"On the other hand, there are maximalist theses that they try to impose on us in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean in the context of maritime jurisdictions. Instead of talking directly to Türkiye, they try to establish threatening mechanisms by constantly complaining about us to the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and even to NATO, of which we are one of the strongest members. Of course, this cannot be accepted. We will now speak in a manner they can understand."
The Greek government sent letters to NATO and the United Nations on Wednesday, complaining about Erdoğan's "aggressive" statements and asking the bodies to condemn Ankara's actions. On the other hand, amid repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, Türkiye made a diplomatic move on Sept. 1 by sending a letter addressing possible solutions to disputes in the Aegean Sea, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.
According to the sources, the letters signed by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu were sent to 25 capitals of the European Union, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council as well as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Explaining Türkiye's position and views on the solution of Aegean problems, the letters also drew attention to the unlawful actions and maximalist demands of Greece. Emphasizing that there are a number of closely related and interrelated problems in the Aegean Sea, such as the width of territorial waters and national airspace, the limitation of the continental shelf and territorial waters, the letter also noted the violation of the non-military status of the eastern Aegean Islands, according to the sources.
According to the sources, the letter affirmed that Ankara is pro-dialogue and cooperation despite Athens avoiding dialogue and escalating tensions while including the EU as part of Aegean problems.
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 Lausanne Treaty, saying such moves frustrate its good faith efforts for peace.
Commenting on Greece's harassment of Turkish jets, Erdoğan on Tuesday said that Ankara's talks with NATO are ongoing, adding: "Our sensitivity continues. Greece is aware of this."
Turkish jets engaged in NATO missions over the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean on Aug. 23 were harassed by a Russian-made S-300 air defense system stationed on the Greek island of Crete.
The president said Turkish officials continue to raise the issue in NATO.
Türkiye and Greece have been at odds over issues ranging from overflights and the status of Aegean islands to maritime boundaries and hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean, as well as the ethnically split island of Cyprus.
