Whilst observing Turkish military exercises near the Aegean coastal province of Izmir, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called Greece to “avoid dreams, acts and statements that will result in regret,” with regards to demilitarising the Aegean.
Ankara maintains the Aegean islands cannot be armed under the 1923 Lausanne and 1947 Paris treaties.
“Turkey will not renounce its rights in the Aegean and will not back down from using rights that are established by international agreements when it comes to arming islands,” Erdogan said.
The President took to Twitter this morning to reiterate the message.
We warn Greece once more to avoid dreams, statements and actions that will lead to regret, as it did a century ago, and to return to its senses.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) June 9, 2022
In reply, Greek government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said Turkey’s remarks are “ahistorical claims and baseless myths.”
“Absolutely nothing can, in any way, harm our sovereign rights and our national sovereignty. That is why we call on Turkey to stop its provocative tactics and realize that the only way is through responsible and honest talk, in the context of international law,” he added.
READ MORE: Greece rejects Turkey’s calls to demilitarise Aegean islands
Overnight, Greece’s foreign ministry has issued 16 maps that it says “depict, in a vivid and unequivocal way, Turkey’s illegal, unilateral actions and allegations.”
The maps are organised chronologically and begin with the status quo enshrined in the Lausanne (1923) and Paris (1947) treaties through to the 2022 claims made by Turkey. They can be viewed in their entirety here.
SOURCE: Thomson Reuters, Ekathimerini
