Greece has vowed to block Turkey from joining a key European Union defense program, citing Ankara's long-standing threat of war against Athens as a primary obstacle to its inclusion.
The firm stance comes just a day after Turkey formally applied to join the EU's SAFE program, an initiative designed to strengthen the continent's defense industry.
"We will not accept a country that threatens war on an EU member state," a Greek official told state broadcaster ERT.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that Greece would block Turkey’s inclusion unless it withdraws its casus belli—an official parliamentary declaration threatening war if Greece extends its territorial waters in the Aegean.
Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis echoed that position.
While Greece cannot formally veto the program itself, it can block the required bilateral agreement between the EU and Turkey.
An EU Commission spokesperson, Thomas Renier, confirmed that safeguards exist within the regulation to protect the security interests of any member state.