Istanbul. June 9th. INTERFAX - Greece should demilitarize the islands in the Aegean Sea, Turkey takes this problem seriously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
"We call on Greece to stop militarization of the islands, which have a non-military status, and act in accordance with international agreements. I'm not joking, I'm serious," Erdogan is quoted as saying by the Associated Press (AP).
He also said that Greece should "come to its senses" and that Ankara would not give up its rights in the Aegean Sea.
In turn, the representative of the Greek government, Yanis Economou, said that Athens responds to Turkey's "provocations" "with calmness and determination." He assured that Greece has already strengthened its political and military potential in order to protect its sovereignty.
Athens also previously stated that Turkey selectively interprets international agreements in its favor, AP reminds.
The day before, Erdogan questioned the stated goals of deploying US bases in Greece. "The US has deployed nine bases in Greece. And against whom? They say they are directed against Russia. We will not accept such an argument on faith," he said.
Turkey and Greece are engaged in disputes over a number of issues, including the status of islands in the Aegean Sea, the problem of divided Cyprus, oil and gas exploration that Turkey conducts in waters that are, as stated in Athens and Nicosia, the exclusive economic zone of Greece and Cyprus, as well as the use of regional airspace.
Athens and Ankara resumed high-level dialogue in January 2021 after almost five years of trying to reduce tensions over border disputes in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. While Greece is implementing a large-scale program of modernization of the armed forces, Turkey insists that it is unfairly deprived of access to the mineral resources of the Mediterranean, and denies accusations that it helped illegal immigrants to accumulate on its border with Greece in 2020.
