The Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar repeated the provocative statements against Greece during a visit to a Turkish frigate sailing in the Mediterranean.

In the framework of the Turkish plan called “Blue Homeland”, Akar accused Greece of causing tension in the Aegean. “It is unacceptable that 16 of the 23 islands have been militarised. This is a clear violation of the Treaty of Lausanne,” he said, noting that “some Greek academics, politicians and veterans have begun to share our views. We are waiting for our Greek friends to take these assessments into account.”

Continuing his statement in a similar tone he said “Everyone should know that there can be no solution in the region without including Turkey. Turkey is a guarantor in Cyprus and with the same determination we will support the rights of our Turkish Cypriot brothers as well as our own. In no way will we allow our rights to be violated”.

Akar, accompanied by the General Chief of the General Staff is Yaşar Güler, met with the Head of the Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj at the Prime Minister’s Office, as part of the military agreement between Turkey and Libya.

In his statements, Akar stated “we stand by our Libyan brothers, in conjunction with the rules of international law and we do not back down. Others will pay the price for their injustices, as you are right and you will win. The others, and those who support them, have been defeated and will be defeated more.”