Turkey’s foreign minister calls Greek island militarisation a security threat

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara wants good relations with Athens but views Greece’s military presence on Aegean islands as a threat.

Speaking during a visit to Azerbaijan, Fidan said: “We don’t want Greece to become a tool in the hands of those who wish to destabilise the region and plunge it into chaos. We want to maintain good neighbourly relations.”

He added that Turkey has “very serious concerns on the militarisation of certain islands. They know that and we have communicated it.”

Fidan argued that Greece is violating international treaties by keeping troops on islands that he said have demilitarised status. “The militarisation of the islands that have a demilitarised status constitutes a threat for us,” he said. “Greece is trying to act in breach of its obligations under the treaties.”

Turkey has raised the issue since the 1960s at NATO and the United Nations, he said. “We invite our neighbour and ally to implement its obligations that derive from international treaties in a more mature manner, in the spirit of the alliance. Greece must not add another provocation to the numerous security challenges our region faces.”

The comments come amid long-running Greek–Turkish tensions over the Aegean and related security issues.

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