Türkiye has given the necessary response to the unfair and unlawful attitudes and actions of Greece, on the field and at the table, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity and will continue to do so, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Wednesday.
Speaking at an event to mark Veterans Day in the capital Ankara, Akar stated that while Türkiye strives for peace and stability, Greece, which constitutes the most obvious example of bad neighborliness, continues its expansionist and aggressive policies with its provocative actions and rhetoric.
"Greece, the party that escalates the tension with this approach, recklessly accuses Türkiye. This is hypocrisy. In addition, this bad neighbor, who complains about Türkiye to others at every opportunity, has revealed its hostile attitude. Especially recently, some irresponsible Greek politicians have been poisoning Türkiye-Greece relations with new delusions every day.
"The fact that our planes, which have been carrying out NATO activities, have recently been radar-locked shows that Greece has become so arrogant that it disregards NATO's basic principles and values. As a matter of fact, a former U.S. diplomat stated that he saw this move of Greece as a sign of the escalation of tensions and 'hostile behavior.' Again, immediately after this incident, the Greek coast guard fired on a commercial ship, which brought the tension to a new level," he explained.
Turkish jets engaged in missions over the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean seas were harassed by the Russian-made S-300 air defense system stationed on the island of Crete last month.
However, Greek military officials deny the act, which is described as "hostile" in the NATO Rules of Engagement.
The Turkish Defense Ministry is preparing to send the radar records of the incident to the NATO Secretariat-General and the defense ministries of alliance members.
Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of Greece's repeated provocative actions and rhetoric in the region in recent months, saying such moves frustrate Ankara's good faith efforts for peace.
Since the beginning of 2022, Greek warplanes have violated Turkish airspace 256 times and harassed Turkish jets 158 times. Greek coast guard boats also violated Turkish territorial waters 33 times.
Akar underlined that Greece violated the 1923 Lausanne and 1947 Paris Peace Treaties and stockpiled weapons on demilitarized islands.
"We have given the necessary response to all kinds of unfair and unlawful attitudes and actions of Greece on the field and at the table within the scope of reciprocity, and it should be known that we will do so in the future," he said and added that Greece is mistaken in thinking that it will take the problems to the international level and usurp Türkiye's rights with some fait accomplis.
Akar stated that they aim for the Aegean and the Mediterranean to be seas of friendship for peace and stability, and for all wealth to be shared fairly, adding: "In this respect, it would be in the interests of both the region and NATO for Greece to see Türkiye as a reliable and effective ally and neighbor instead of seeing it as a threat. Our neighbor Greek people should also be sure that Türkiye is in favor of a peaceful and prosperous future with Greece. We also expect third parties to look at the issue impartially and objectively in the light of international law, reason, logic and science and to see the facts. As a result, we are determined and able to protect our rights and interests in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, including Cyprus."
Akar reiterated Türkiye's call on Greece to resolve the recent problems between the two countries through peaceful means in accordance with international law, as part of good neighborly relations and mutual dialogue.
"Once again, our sincere call to the sane Greeks is to come to the dialogue table so that the problems between us can be resolved through peaceful methods in accordance with international law, within the framework of good neighborly relations and through mutual dialogue."
Türkiye on Monday lodged a protest with the United States and Greece over the unlawful deployment of armored vehicles on Aegean islands with non-military status.
Turkish army drones have recorded the Greek deployment of armored vehicles on the islands of Lesbos and Samos, which is in violation of international law.
Türkiye summoned the Greek ambassador and called for an end to violations on Aegean islands and restoring their non-military status, according to the Foreign Ministry.
In the note, the ministry stated that the deployment was another violation of Greece's obligations under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris.
These islands were required to be demilitarized under the two treaties, so any troops or weapons on the islands are strictly forbidden.
Meanwhile, in a protest note to the United States, Türkiye urged respect for the status of eastern Aegean islands and measures to be taken to prevent the use of weapons there.
Turkish drone footage, released on Sunday, showed that landing ships carried military vehicles donated by the United States to the islands.
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, air space, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
