Greek Defense Ministry officials on Wednesday rejected comments by Turkey’s defense chief who said Ankara “will not remain indifferent” to attempts to question its rights and interests in the Aegean, the Mediterranean and Cyprus.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said that “Greece exercises its sovereign rights with full commitment to international law and does not accept revisionist and arbitrary approaches that attempt to turn unilateral interpretations into political faits accompli.”
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler had also accused Greece of illegally militarizing its eastern Aegean Sea islands.
“In such a crucial geopolitical environment, we closely follow all developments and defend with great determination our country’s rights and interests, primarily in the Aegean, the eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus,” he said, speaking at a military base in Edirne, western Turkey.
Guler argued that Turkey is all for international law, peace, stability and solving disagreements through dialogue. But he added that “this does not mean we will make concessions concerning our national rights and interests.”
