In two letters to the UN Secretary-General, Greece has rejected Turkey’s call for Greece to withdraw its armed forces from the Aegean islands.
This comes as Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in a joint news conference with his North Macedonian counterpart, Bujar Osmani this morning, said that Greece has been building a military presence on the Aegean islands in violation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Treaty.
“The agreements are there but Greece is violating them. It’s arming them. If Greece does not stop this violation, the sovereignty of the islands will be brought up for discussion,” he said.
Cavusoglu said the islands were ceded to Greece provided they remain demilitarised and should Greece fail to withdraw forces – Turkey will challenge the status of the islands.
“It’s that clear. You will abide by the agreements,” the Turkish minister said.
Hosted Foreign Minister @Bujar_O of #NorthMacedonia in Ankara.
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) June 7, 2022
Signed MoU on Protocol Cooperation.
We will increase trade to $2 billion and hold Joint Business Forum this year.
Discussed regional issues and particularly the situation in the Balkans.🇹🇷🇲🇰 pic.twitter.com/chnJapONGo
In both letters to the UN, Greece’s permanent representative refuted Turkey’s arguments as “legally unsustainable, having clearly revisionist motives, and further fueling the instability Turkey creates with its actions,” diplomatic sources revealed.
The exchange represents a new escalation in tensions between the NATO allies.
Just last month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, said he would stop talking to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, voicing displeasure at comments the Greek leader made during a recent US trip where he implored Congress to block Turkey’s acquisition of F-16 fighter jets.
READ MORE: Turkish President Erdogan vows to never speak with Greek Prime Minister again
In reply, Mitsotakis said restraint was needed on both sides of the Aegean.
“Today, everyone needs to show restraint. Especially at a time when we are facing a very big challenge at NATO with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We must be united,” he said.
SOURCE: AP News, Ekathimerini
