Athens Rejects Ankara’s Claims on Patriot Missiles in Karpathos and Cyprus

Greece did not leave the Turkish Defense Ministry’s recent statements regarding the deployment of Patriot systems in Karpathos and fighter jets in occupied Cyprus unanswered. The Greek Foreign Ministry reiterated that Athens’ position has already been clearly stated and remains unchanged.

Specifically, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Lana Zohiou recalled the Ministry’s previous statement emphasizing that “the unilateral claims regarding the demilitarization of the Aegean islands are unfounded and have been repeatedly rejected. The status of the Greek East Aegean islands is governed by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the 1936 Montreux Convention, and the 1947 Paris Treaty, to which Turkey is not even a party.” These treaties, the Ministry stressed, leave no doubt about the islands’ status, while Greece’s defensive posture remains non-negotiable, particularly amid rising regional instability.

According to discussions between Greek officials, neither the issue of the Patriot deployment in Karpathos nor defense assistance to Cyprus was raised in recent talks with Turkish counterparts. Regarding Turkey’s deployment of fighters to occupied Cyprus, Greece reiterated that the illegal Turkish invasion and occupation of the island does not legitimize any military mission.

Ankara’s Provocative Statement

Earlier, Ankara escalated tensions by describing the Patriot deployment in Karpathos as an “illegal action” by Greece, accusing Athens of “exploiting crises in the region.” The Turkish Defense Ministry claimed that Greek actions “violate the status of the islands under duly concluded treaties, creating legal breaches and harming neighborly and allied relations,” and added that “such situations are unacceptable among NATO allies, especially given ongoing security crises in the region.”

Turkey has long insisted on the demilitarization of certain Aegean islands, arguing that “the East Aegean islands were ceded to Greece under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Treaty on the condition that they remain civilian.” Ankara specifically referenced Lemnos under the Lausanne Treaty and Karpathos under the Paris Treaty as islands that should maintain civilian status. According to Turkey, any violation of this status constitutes a fundamental breach, though Greece maintains that these claims have no legal basis.