Greece's Foreign Ministry has rejected accusations that Athens is being used to destabilize the region, responding to remarks made a day earlier by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and reaffirmed that Greece "shapes its foreign policy sovereignly and independently."
Ministry spokesman Panagiotis Giannakoulias said claims that Greece is being weaponized bear no relation to reality, insisting Greece has consistently worked for regional and international peace and poses no threat to anyone.
He said Greece, like any state, is entitled to ensure the defense and security of its entire territory, and dismissed Turkey's recurring claims that Greek Aegean islands must be demilitarized as lacking any basis in international law, noting the claims have repeatedly been categorically rejected.
Mr. Giannakoulias said the status of Greece's eastern Aegean islands is clearly defined under existing international treaties, and that Greece, as a sovereign state, is fully entitled to take all necessary measures to exercise its inalienable right to self-defense.
He called it "not only unfounded but also oxymoronic" to characterize Greece's defensive posture as a threat, given that Turkey continues to maintain a formal casus belli — a declared threat of war — against Greece over the potential exercise of its lawful sovereign rights.
Mr. Giannakoulias said Greece remains committed to good-neighborly relations and dialogue, but stressed these require full respect for international law and an end to threats and unfounded claims.
The dispute reflects a longstanding disagreement between the NATO allies: Turkey has periodically cited 1923 and 1947 treaties to argue Greek islands near its coast should be demilitarized, claims Athens has consistently dismissed as baseless.