The Turkish Minister of Defence, Hulusi Akar, launched an attack against Greece once again, accusing our country of provocative rhetoric..

“On the one hand it [Greece] seeks alliances, on the other, it fights for armaments,” Akar told the Turkish newspaper Milliyet, adding: “Unfortunately, the provocative rhetoric and illegal actions of some politicians continue in Greece.”

The Turkish Defence Minister noted that “all these are futile efforts. If they are aimed against Turkey, they are futile, if they are done for defensive reasons, they are too much. Such behaviour affects the well-being of the Greek people when they have such financial problems”.

He warned that “we are neighbors and allies with Greece. However, there are common risks for both countries. Which are they? There are refugees, pandemics, and terrorism. It is necessary to take these into account and to design accordingly. We say let’s establish an honest, transparent, and open dialogue system. We want the Aegean to be a sea of ​​friendship and we want a common and fair distribution of all wealth. Beyond that, we want to make it known that we will never allow any incident to take place against our rights and interests in the eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean, and Cyprus, and we strongly emphasise that.”

Regarding the supply of F-16s from the USA, he said: “This means strengthening not only Turkey but also NATO. The process continues. Asked by Congress about the issue, the State Department responded with a letter. While there are some positives to this letter, it is important to be careful. This is a process, we hope it will have a positive outcome. Until our domestic warplane becomes a reality, we estimate that the F16s can meet our needs.”