Ankara Slams Greek Defense Minister for Escalating Tensions

“All the developments in our regions, including our neighbor Greece’s military activities, are being closely and carefully monitored. As we underline all the time, our main priority is our region’s peace and stability, including the Aegean Sea. We fulfill our responsibilities accordingly and our expectation from Greece is to pursue the same constructive approach,” sources from the Turkish Defense Ministry told reporters on Dec. 4.

The ministry’s remarks followed Dendias’ statement on a new Greek defense doctrine that includes arming Aegean islands with precision-guided missiles, primarily supplied by Israel. The Greek doctrine is considered to be against Turkey, which is in a process of strengthening its defensive and deterrence capabilities in a region full of armed conflicts.

The sources described the statements as escalatory, unrealistic and fanciful, serving no purpose other than damaging the positive bilateral atmosphere based on an agreement between the leaders of the two countries, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“The Turkish Armed Forces are not a threat to anybody that does not pose a threat to itself. However, it has the strength and determination to eliminate any threat that may be directed against our country,” the sources said. 

All the attempts targeting Turkey failed in the past and are doomed to fail in the future, they added.

Dendias, known for his escalatory statements on Turkey since his days as the foreign minister, in a speech on the margins of a conference titled "Greece in Global Perspective," argued that Turkey is the biggest threat to Greece and that they need tangible military measures against it.

He said, as part of a new doctrine, Greece will continue its ambitious armament efforts and deploy missiles in many Greek islands at the expense of violating international law.

“The Aegean will not be protected solely by the navy. It will be protected primarily by mobile missile systems deployed across hundreds — if not thousands — of islands. We will seal off the Aegean Sea from land. This will also free naval operations from being restricted to this narrow sea,” he said. 

Erdoğan and Mitsotakis signed the Athens Declaration in 2023, which underlines the will to keep the momentum between the two sides and avoid steps that would create new tensions in the Aegean and Mediterranean.