Greek PM Mitsotakis 'confident' of US, EU support against Türkiye

REGION  29 September 2022 - 16:58

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he is confident about the support from the U.S. and European Union against Türkiye, reports said Wednesday.

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Mitsotakis said the country's "red lines" were emphasized upon in the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, according to pro-government daily Ta Nea, Daily Sabah reports.

Greece relies on the support of the allies as well as the readiness of the armed forces, he said.

Türkiye, on the other hand, is isolated, he added.

The report said that Athens would closely monitor the Turkish National Security Council meeting, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will chair on Wednesday.

The ongoing escalation between the two NATO allies as well as Ankara’s alternative plans if Washington refuses to proceed with the F-16 deal will be on the top of the National Security Council meeting’s agenda, it added.

The U.S.' decision to fortify its military presence in Greece’s northern port city of Alexandroupolis and choose Greece as its strategic partner and energy hub resulted in "provocative and hostile" remarks from Ankara, 27/7.gr reported.

In a similar vein, public broadcaster ERT quoted Deputy Education Minister Angelos Syrigos as saying that the U.S. abandoned its decades-long neutrality between Athens and Ankara and explicitly supports the former.

Turkish military drones recorded the deployment of Greek armored vehicles on the islands of Midilli (Lesvos) and Sisam (Samos), which Ankara maintains is in violation of international law. The footage was released on Sunday.

Türkiye on Monday summoned the Greek ambassador and called for an end to violations on Aegean islands and restoring their non-military status.

In the note, the ministry stated that the deployment was another violation of Greece's obligations under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris. These islands were required to be demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris, so any troops or weapons on the islands are strictly forbidden.

Relations between the two neighboring countries and fellow NATO members have deteriorated in recent years.

In May, Erdoğan cut ties with Mitsotakis and declared all other channels of communication between the countries closed.

Erdoğan said Mitsotakis "no longer exists" for him, after the Greek premier lobbied to block sales of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye during a visit to the United States, despite previously agreeing with Erdoğan "to not include third countries in our dispute."

Türkiye and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, air space, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.

Ankara accuses Athens of illegally militarizing Greek islands in the East Aegean and questions Greece's sovereignty over them. There is also a dispute over the exploitation of mineral resources in the Aegean.

Since the beginning of 2022, Greek warplanes have violated Turkish airspace 256 times and harassed Turkish jets on 158 occasions. Greek coast guard boats also violated Turkish territorial waters 33 times.

Despite the escalation, Mitsotakis said he "cannot imagine a war between Greece and Türkiye.”

Caliber.Az