The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded today to the aggressive statements of representatives of the Turkish government (the latest was Cavusoglu on Tuesday), who threaten Greece with war if the islands are not demilitarised.
Specifically, the released statement notes:
“The statements of Turkish officials regarding the demilitarisation of the Aegean islands have been repeatedly rejected in their entirety with a series of arguments, which are also contained in the relevant letters that Greece has sent to the UN Secretary-General.
The questioning of the sovereignty of the Greek islands and the increase in tension in the Aegean, through threats of war, have been condemned in their entirety by the International Community.
Greece, respecting International Law and the Law of the Sea, once again rejects in its entirety the Turkish unilateral complaints and characterises the repeated threats of war as completely unacceptable.
“If Greece does not back down on the islands, we will do whatever is necessary”, threatened Cavusoglu
New threats against Greece were launched on Tuesday morning (6/12) by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, using, among others, the phrase “he who sows winds reaps storms”.
Invoking once again Turkey’s distorted reading of international treaties, the Turkish foreign minister asserted that “the islands that Greece has armed were given to it by the Treaty of Lausanne and Paris under one condition. Greece cannot arm these islands.”
Continuing in the same tone, Cavusoglu accused Greece of “directly violating these two agreements. Greece does not want peace. It violates the peace accords. We sent our legal arguments. We saw their answers, answers that are purely politically demagogic.”
Going one step further, he started the threats by saying that “if Greece does not retreat from this violation, the issue of the sovereignty of these islands should be discussed. We cannot remain silent on this issue. Either Greece will take a step back or we will do whatever is necessary. That’s why our president said the phrase “we may come suddenly one night”. We cannot suffer in silence. We will do whatever is necessary.”
“Greece should not forget that whoever sows wind, reaps storms. If you don’t want peace, we will do whatever is necessary, suddenly one night” concluded Mevlut Cavusoglu in his provocative reference to Greece.
