Greece will not tolerate attempts to silence its sovereign rights through threats of war, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias warned this week, drawing a firm line on national security even as diplomats from both countries seek to thaw relations.
In a televised interview, Mr. Dendias asserted that Athens retains the exclusive right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles—a move Ankara has long declared a casus belli.
“Greece neither threatens nor seeks to revise anything,” Mr. Dendias said. “But it cannot remain silent in the face of a challenge… to international law.”
While expressing readiness for dialogue, the defense chief insisted that engagement cannot occur under the “rule of the strong.”
He explicitly rejected Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” expansionist doctrine and the Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum as non-starters for genuine normalization.
The comments underscore the delicate dual-track approach adopted by Athens: pursuing "low-politics" cooperation in trade and tourism—as seen in this week's successful "Positive Agenda" talks—while maintaining strict military deterrence on core sovereignty issues.
Mr. Dendias also highlighted “Agenda 2030,” a comprehensive overhaul of the Greek armed forces aimed at boosting combat readiness, symbolized by the recent acquisition of the French-built frigate Kimon.
“Accepting a threat of war as something normal would be dangerous,” Mr. Dendias concluded. “We cannot allow the illusion that Turkey can impose silence on us.”