Turkey calls Greek militarization of Aegean Islands a security threat

ATHENS — Ankara considers Greece’s militarization of the Aegean Islands a security threat, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, as tensions between the two neighbors rise.

“We don’t want Greece to become a tool in the hands of those who wish to destabilize the region and plunge it into chaos; we want to maintain good neighborly relations,” Fidan said during a visit to Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

But he added that Athens is in breach of international treaties in maintaining a military presence on some of the islands.

“The militarization of the islands that have a demilitarized status constitutes a threat for us … We invite our neighbor and ally to implement its obligations that derive from international treaties in a more mature manner, in the spirit of the alliance,” Fidan said. “Greece must not add another provocation to the numerous security challenges our region faces.”

Despite being NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades over a number of bilateral squabbles, including quarrels over maritime boundaries, overlapping claims to their continental shelves and the long-running Cyprus dispute.

Tensions between Athens and Ankara have seen a recent uptick, particularly following a recent strengthening of ties between Greece and Israel, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sees as a bid to “encircle” his country.

Earlier this month, Greece delivered a formal complaint to Ankara over Turkey’s declaration of “national” marine parks, which Athens considers “invalid and lacking legal effect” as they extend into areas outside Turkish jurisdiction and within the Greek continental shelf.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue in a meeting with European Council President António Costa in Athens.

“My country is a peaceful country that poses no threat to anyone. However, it will not accept instructions from anyone on how to strengthen its defense capabilities,” Mitsotakis said.