UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY FROM TURKISH DEFENSE CHIEF; EDITS THROUGH
By Merve Aydogan
ANKARA (AA) - Emphasizing Türkiye's desire for dialogue, peace, and good-neighborly relations in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean seas, the Turkish defense minister on Monday said Athens tries to prevent and sabotage consultation and confidence-building measures talks with Ankara.
Hulusi Akar recalled the halted consultation as well as the confidence-building measures meetings and technical meetings of the defense ministers.
"Not only Greece does not want to hold these talks, but it also tries to prevent them from happening and sabotages them," said Akar during a visit to TCG Anadolu, which will be Türkiye's largest warship.
Turkish and Greek military delegations previously held a series of technical talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss ways to reduce the risk of an incident amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. However, since 2021, the defense officials of the two countries could not meet due to increasing tensions in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean seas.
Some Greek politicians and defense officials are aiming to "cover up" local issues by constantly and consciously increasing tensions with Türkiye, Akar noted, saying Türkiye is being "cautious" as much as possible.
He stressed that Athens attempts to present the problems between Greece and Türkiye as "issues related to NATO, the US, and the EU."
"Everyone is now aware of their (Greece's) tricks. We consider and expect everyone to be more cautious in this regard," he added.
Türkiye's all claims are based on legal facts and concrete data, Akar said, adding: "Despite this, there are many Greece-related reasons for not getting any results. There are many scandals in Greece right now. There is the wiretapping scandal, migration scandal, and corruption."
He said the Greek public "noticed" its government's failures in the Eastern Mediterranean, so Athens "hopes to cover all of it by increasing tensions" with Ankara.
"We want them (the Greek government) to see that it is not possible for them to survive by creating tension, and that diversion is not profitable," he added.
The Turkish defense chief further refuted claims that Türkiye is a threat, and stressed: "Türkiye is not a threat to anyone, rather, is a reliable, strong, and effective ally."
Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under treaty obligations. Ankara says that such moves frustrate its good-faith efforts for peace.
Türkiye's calls for dialogue should not be perceived as a weakness, Akar said, adding that Ankara urges for "fair sharing of the riches of the Aegean within the framework of good neighborly relations. However, we also say that we will never allow violation of our rights and of our (Turkish) Cypriot fellows, and will not allow a fait accompli."
Urging third-party actors to be objective on Türkiye-Greece issues, he stressed that Türkiye wants parties to "not take sides in an emotional or prejudiced way."
"We want them to evaluate the events fairly, objectively, and impartially."
Akar defined the Cyprus issue as a "national matter" and said: "We are talking about two sovereign, equal, and independent states on Cyprus (island). The issue is no longer the establishment of this state (the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus), but the recognition of this established state."
- Decades-long dispute
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.
The Turkish defense chief also noted the significance of the domestic and national defense industry for an effective, deterrent, and respected armed forces, adding that the country has reached the level of 80% on local defense industry production.