Kalin: Greece violates the laws in the Aegean by militarizing islands
The position of Ankara on the violation of the status of the Aegean islands by Greece was bid by the representative of the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, reminding that there is a legal basis, which Athens deliberately ignores.
“The equipment of the islands is one of the issues (with Greece). They blatantly violate the law. What do we say? Right now, we are reminding again of the legal basis. We say that this militarization is against the Lausanne Agreement of 1923 and the Paris Agreement and that this is a mistake of Greece. There are violations set by NATO. They are talking about airspace violation, aren’t they? We also raise the issue of violations. We say come and talk to each other about these issues. Why are you bringing these issues before the US, France, the EU? Why are you using your EU membership against us? This is not an honest and sincere behavior and attitude that suits bilateral relations. “We say, let us work together to resolve these issues on the basis of mutual interest,” he said, referring to the Cyprus issue, saying that Turkey was always one step ahead.
“The president tells us that Turkey will always be one step ahead of the Cyprus negotiations.”
“The West to put pressure on Greece”
Ibrahim Kalin noted that the Westerners are pushing Turkey for Greece, however he opposed that the one that the West should ‘warn’ is Athens.
“One of the quarrels I have with Westerners is ‘Aman, there is no tension, let there be stability’. And I tell them that what you call stability we do not abandon our national interests? Are you putting pressure on Greece? “Put pressure on Greece first and then come and ask us.”
Ibrahim Kalin once again expressed his annoyance for the alliances of Greece and stated that they will not remain silent in the backstage lobby of Athens internationally.
“Our relations with Greece have always had ups and downs. A few words about the situation of the islands. There are some issues that have a history. After 6-7 years of stagnation, we started the period of exploratory contacts. We went, we came, we had discussions. Let us talk directly about our issues with Greece. More than 60 meetings took place. So that we can talk to each other. Not to involve third party players. From the maritime jurisdiction to the issue of the Turkish Muslim minority in Greece. While we had entered into such a process, the Greek government, based on alliances formed during Turkey, engaged in lobbying activities and closed-door negotiations. Our honorable president said to Mitsotakis: ‘Do not cooperate with third countries and act against Turkey, let us talk to each other’. What was the result? Messages to the US Congress. We know their activity behind the scenes. “How can we remain silent about this?” He wondered.
With the Turkish-Libyan we showed the borders of the Blue Homeland
The representative of the Turkish presidency also referred to the importance of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum.
“Let’s say about the places in the eastern Mediterranean or in the Mediterranean. We made an agreement with Libya, we received criticism from inside and outside. Despite objections and pressures, we signed an agreement with a Mediterranean country for the first time in the modern history of the Turkish Republic. It clarifies where our borders are drawn in the context of the Blue Homeland. The military agreement we made with Libya is an agreement that is part of this package. “We maintain a military and political weight there so that we can expand the areas of maritime jurisdiction in Libya,” he said.