Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said Turkey must withdraw its long-standing threat of war against Greece if it wants access to European Union defence funding, including the bloc’s new Security Action for Europe (SAFE) arms initiative.
Speaking to Skai radio on Thursday, Mitsotakis said, “It has been 30 years since the Turkish National Assembly voted on the infamous casus belli. I think that 30 years later, the time has come to directly ask our Turkish friends to take it off the table.”
The casus belli—a declaration by the Turkish parliament in 1995—warns that any unilateral extension of Greece’s territorial waters in the Aegean Sea beyond six nautical miles would be considered an act of war. The dispute is one of many longstanding tensions between the two NATO members, which include disagreements over airspace, maritime boundaries and the status of Cyprus.
“If Turkey wishes access into European defence financing tools, the legitimate concerns of both Greece and Cyprus should be taken into account,” Mitsotakis added.
He said he would soon convey this message directly to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, citing recent improvements in bilateral relations. A high-level meeting between the two countries is expected in the coming months.
A Turkish defence source criticised Greece’s stance, warning that attempts to exclude Turkey from EU projects were “not smart.”
Source: Reuters
