Türkiye: 'We will not allow' expansion of Greek territorial waters
Ankara reiterated a 1995 parliamentary decision that authorises military action to safeguard Turkish interests if Athens increases its territorial waters in the Aegean beyond six nautical miles.
Türkiye and Greece have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, including where their continental shelves start and end, energy exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, overflights in the Aegean Sea and Cyprus island.
Türkiye has once again reiterated that any expansion of Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea was a red line.
“We will not allow the expansion of (Greek) territorial waters by even one mile in the Aegean, let alone 12,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told an end-of-year press briefing in Ankara on Thursday.
He was responding to reports that Athens plans to extend territorial waters around the island of Crete to 12 nautical miles.
Citing a Turkish parliamentary 1995 decision on the matter, Cavusoglu said: “We are warning Greece once more. Don’t pursue false heroism by trusting those who might have your back. Don’t seek adventurism. It won’t end well for you!”
The 1995 declaration authorises action, including military measures, to safeguard Turkish interests if Greece increases its territorial waters in the Aegean beyond six nautical miles.
Cavusoglu said that the declaration "remains in force today".
Türkiye continues its dialogue with the UN, US, Russia and Iraq, besides Syria's Bashar al Assad regime. He also commented on a tripartite meeting of the Turkish, Russian, and Syrian defence ministers and intelligence officials in Moscow on Wednesday.
"I will also be meeting with (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey) Lavrov," he added.
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