Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged Greece to “change course” and end what he described as the militarization of the Aegean islands that have demilitarized status.
According to foreign media, he warned Greece against interpreting Ankara’s “calm and rational approach” as a sign of weakness.
Speaking to reporters after his return from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where he attended a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Erdogan said Turkey had no territorial ambitions towards any country, but would not allow anyone to violate its rights.
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“Turkey has no ambitions regarding anyone’s territory, but it will not allow anyone to violate its rights,” Erdogan said.
He called on Greece to abandon what he described as the “wrong path” and respect international treaties.
“Ignoring and violating international treaties will not benefit anyone,” Erdogan said. “Anyone who interprets Turkey’s calm and rational approach as weakness is making a grave mistake,” he added.
Erdogan said Turkey was doing everything necessary to advance Greek-Turkish relations on the basis of good neighborly ties, arguing that Ankara had consistently pursued a constructive approach.
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“We have been the constructive side,” he said. “However, most of the time we have not seen a reciprocal response to our good intentions.”
The Turkish president specifically called on Greece to “change course” and “abandon the militarization of islands that have demilitarized status,” without providing details on the steps he expects Athens to take.
He also cited history as a warning, saying it should serve as a guide for those willing to learn from it.
“We will continue to work for peace, security and stability in our region,” he said.
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Greece rejects Turkey’s interpretation of the treaties, arguing that they do not impose a general demilitarization regime on the Aegean islands and that Athens retains the right to defend its territory under international law.
Erdogan also said Turkey would consider strengthening its relations with the China- and Russia-led security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, at a higher level.
“Turkey’s perspective for (full) membership in the organization does not imply a break from any other bloc or the West,” Erdogan said.