Ankara has accused Greece of “occupying” Aegean islands
Recep Tayyip Erdan, Turkish President, has asked Greece to end its military buildup on the Aegean Islands. This is threatening Greece’s NATO ally. “heavy price”You might be paying for it.
“Your occupying the islands does not bind us. When the time, the hour, comes, we will do what is necessary,”Erdogan made the remarks in a speech Saturday, in northern Samsun.
Aegean islands once controlled by the Ottoman Empire were handed to Greece in 1923 and 1947. Ankara repeatedly accuses Athens, claiming that it is pursuing military buildsup on the islands. However, Ankara insists that Greek sovereignty was contingent on them being demilitarized. However, Kyriakos, the Greek Prime Minister, dismissed Turkish efforts to challenge the sovereignty of the islands. “absurd.”
Erdogan spoke out about the past conflicts that existed between them, particularly the 1922 Greco-Turkish War. Ankara was victorious in the war and Athens, which had been divided by the Ottoman Empire, had to give the Ottoman Empire’s territories to the Turkish Republic.
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Turkey says Greece ‘challenged NATO’
“Look at history, look back at history, if you go too far, the price will be heavy. We have only one sentence for Greece, do not forget Izmir,”Erdogan spoke apparently in reference to the 1922 Battle of Izmir, also known as Smyrna at that time.
The battle resulted in the expulsion of the Greek troops from Asia Minor – and a major fire that largely destroyed the city. Most historians think that the Turkish troops intentionally started the fire to cleanse the Greek ethnic population.
Athens has not been spared the hostile comments. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated that it will not participate in the festivities. “outrageous daily slide”Turkey has made threats. Instead, it promised that the ministry would raise the matter of Turkish hostile remarks with the US-led NATO bloc.
“We will inform our allies and partners on the content of the provocative statements … to make it clear who is setting dynamite to the cohesion of our alliance during a dangerous period,”The foreign ministry stated.
These tensions are a result of Turkey accusing Greece, in August, that it had locked its Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft defenses onto two Turkish aircraft during a routine flight over neutral waters. Greek military sources, however, have denied the incident, telling local media that none of the country’s air defenses had been activated on the day of the alleged incident.
