The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has stated that his government is not currently considering a war with Turkey, although he emphasised that his country will continue to strengthen its defence capabilities to protect its sovereignty. He also indicated that he will raise the issue of the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean during a possible bilateral meeting with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as part of the NATO summit which begins today in Ankara.
In an interview with the Greek press – which has been reported by several Turkish media outlets – ahead of the NATO summit, Mitsotakis spoke about relations between the two countries and the tension that exists, particularly regarding sovereignty over the waters of the Aegean. The Greek leader emphasised that geography compels Turkey and Greece to coexist peacefully despite their differences, and reiterated that he would always be willing to meet with Erdoğan.
The Greek Prime Minister also categorically ruled out the possibility of a war with Turkey, noting that Athens’ top priority is to preserve regional stability. “We do not foresee a war under any circumstances,” he insisted on this matter. However, Mitsotakis clarified that this stance does not imply a reduction in defence efforts; on the contrary, Greece seeks to strengthen its military capabilities: “We must strengthen our deterrent capability so that no one even considers challenging Greece’s sovereignty,” he said.
The Greek Prime Minister will raise the dispute over sovereignty in the Aegean with Erdogan
Ahead of the NATO meeting, Mitsotakis explained that, should he hold a bilateral meeting with Erdoğan during the summit, the agenda will be very clear; as he detailed, he will address the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction zones in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, recalling that, during his last visit to Ankara, he had already conveyed directly to the Turkish government Greece‘s position regarding the casus belli approved by the Turkish parliament in 1995, which considers any extension by Greece of its territorial waters in the Aegean to 12 nautical miles to be grounds for Turkey to declare war.
Mitsotakis emphasised, in any case, the importance of keeping the channels of communication open between Greece and Turkey and avoiding an escalation of tensions. Furthermore, he noted that, in his view, the situation in the Eastern Aegean has improved, with a decline in the arrival of migrants and an increase in tourism from Turkey to the Greek islands.
Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies that came close to going to war
The NATO summit, which begins on 6 July in Ankara, is taking place at a particularly delicate time for Euro-Atlantic security. The meeting will be marked by strong pressure from the US President, Donald Trump, for European allies to take greater responsibility for their own defence and increase their military spending, whilst Washington plans to substantially review its military presence in Europe.
However, relations between Greece and Turkey remain one of the greatest and most frequent sources of tension amongst NATO member states. For decades, the two nations have been locked in a dispute over the demarcation of territorial waters, airspace and exclusive economic zones in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
These differences have even led to several serious crises, such as those in 1976, 1987 and, in particular, 1996, when war nearly broke out between Greece and Turkey over sovereignty of the islets of Imia/Kardak and both countries deployed commandos and naval vessels, until finally they withdrew their forces and warships following the intervention of the US.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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