Key facts
- Turkey views Greece's militarization of demilitarized Aegean Islands as a security threat.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Greece of violating international treaties.
- Greece recently established stronger ties with Israel, which Turkey sees as an attempt to encircle its country.
- Greece filed a complaint against Turkey's declaration of 'national' marine parks, deeming them invalid.
- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis asserted Greece's right to strengthen its defense capabilities.
Tensions between Turkey and Greece have escalated, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stating that Ankara considers Greece's militarization of the Aegean Islands a security threat. Fidan, speaking during a visit to Azerbaijan on Tuesday, asserted that Athens is in breach of international treaties by maintaining a military presence on islands that are supposed to be demilitarized. He urged Greece to implement its treaty obligations in a more mature manner and not to add further provocations to the region's existing security challenges.
Despite both nations being NATO allies, they have a long history of disputes over maritime boundaries, continental shelf claims, and the Cyprus issue. Recent tensions have been amplified by Greece's strengthened ties with Israel, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan perceives as an effort to encircle Turkey. Earlier this month, Greece formally protested Turkey's declaration of "national" marine parks, which Athens considers invalid and outside Turkish jurisdiction.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a meeting with European Council President António Costa in Athens, emphasized that Greece is a peaceful nation that poses no threat but will not accept instructions on how to bolster its defense capabilities.