A serious conflict is brewing between Greece and Turkey over the islands in the Aegean Sea. This became known from the words of representatives of the Turkish Ministry of National Defense at a briefing on March 12.
It was stated at the briefing that the reason for the aggravation of relations was the deployment by Greece of the Patriot battery on its island of Kerpe in the eastern Aegean Sea after the attack on the British air base in Cyprus was carried out. According to the Turkish side, the actions of Greece, violating the status of the islands contrary to the existing treaties, not only create an illegal situation, but also undermine good-neighborly and allied relations.
The Ministry recalled that the islands in the eastern part of the Aegean Sea were transferred to Greece on condition that their demilitarized status was maintained in accordance with the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 1923 and the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947. In this regard, “the islands of Limni and Kerpe should have a demilitarized status, which was established as an essential condition of the treaties.”
“The violation of the demilitarized status of the islands is serious, while the deployment of military forces on them does not cancel this status from a legal point of view,” the Turkish ministry noted.
The Turkish Defense Ministry also stated that the occurrence of such situations between NATO allies was unacceptable against the background of the current security crises in the region.
“We declare that we do not accept attempts by Greece that do not serve real goals and are aimed at exploiting crises in our region, and we are taking all necessary measures in this direction,” the ministry’s representatives said at a briefing.
In response to a question about the measures taken by the Ministry to ensure the security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), representatives of the department stated that “the security of the TRNC and the preservation of peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean are of strategic importance to Turkey.”
“Our position on this issue is clear and unchanged. The air defense and air force units we deployed in the TRNC after the threat of missiles and drones that arose as a result of clashes between the USA-Israel and They are aimed at strengthening deterrence, maintaining airspace security and strengthening our ability to respond quickly in the face of possible threats,” the representatives of the Ministry of Defense explained.
At the same time, it was noted that “the additional measures taken by Turkey will contribute to the security not only of the TRNC, but also of the entire island.”
“In conditions when some countries that are not guarantors are sending military units to the island of Cyprus and to Eastern Mediterranean, the measures taken by Turkey are absolutely legitimate, appropriate and necessary within the framework of a balanced approach to security … Turkey acts with the understanding of preserving peace and stability, and not escalating tensions in the region. The security of the TRNC is our security. At the same time, Ankara will not allow any hostile approach or fait accompli attempts directed against the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots, and will not hesitate to use the rights and powers granted by the guarantor status,” the briefing said.
Two days after the start of the American and Israeli campaign against Iran, unknown drones attacked the British military base of Akrotiri in Cyprus twice. The next day, Greece announced that it would transfer the Patriot battery to the island of Karpathos in the southeastern Aegean Sea. This caused outrage in Ankara, although Turkey itself recently transferred fighter jets to the part of Cyprus controlled by it.