Turkey directly threatens Greece with war. How did Greece respond?

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu directly threatened Greece with war if it continues to expand its territorial waters south and west of the island of Crete.

Timely was the reaction of Greece with the ruling New Democracy MEPs, who called on the European Commission to take action against Turkey’s aggressiveness.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Cavusoglu referred to recent relevant reports from the Greek media about the expansion of territorial waters and said:

“In recent days, articles have appeared in the Greek press about the expansion of territorial waters to 12 miles around Crete. Our position on this issue is clear. We will not allow the expansion of territorial waters in the Aegean [Грецией] not only up to 12 miles, but not even up to one mile.”

Referring to the casus belli – the cause of the war – the decision against Greece, he openly threatened:

“The decision of our parliament from 1995 on this issue is clear and still in force. I would like to warn Greece again. Don’t play tough based on who you want to have on your side. Don’t start adventures that you know will end badly.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister also stated: “We continue to protect our rights and interests in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. Our Ministry of Defense is in place, and we are simultaneously defending our rights through diplomacy.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Government Representative Giannis Ikonomos with his statement, he responded to the latest threats in the event of a war between Turkey and Greece. In his response, he stated that Greece is “not intimidated and not terrorized”.

Detailed statement by Giannis Ikonomos:

“Greece is not intimidated or terrorized,” government spokesman Yiannis Ikonomu said on Thursday, responding to Turkish officials’ threatening statements against Greece. – The Greek government governs solely on the basis of international law and national interests. The tactics of threats and provocations followed by Turkey is an absolute dead end, since Greece cannot be intimidated or terrorized.”

“Turkish officials would do well to think about the stalemate and not continue on the same path into the new year,” said the representative of Greece.

Greek Foreign Ministry response to Turkish Foreign Minister

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave its own response with a statement by Representative Georgios Arnautis, who, in response to a journalist’s question about the statements of Turkish officials, stated the following:

“Turkey must finally understand that there are rules that all civilized and privileged states follow. Threats to use violence because you don’t like the rules are reminiscent of other centuries, and certainly not of the 21st. In the face of a brutal and unprecedented by modern standards threat of violence, Greece puts forward the rules, using all the rights arising from international law.

Note that Turkey, it seems, has absolutely nothing to do with the south and west of Crete … However, the territory around this island unexpectedly turned out to be Turkish, according to the Libyan-Turkish agreement of 2021 on the distribution of the EEZ.

However, what to expect from a country that on its maps indicates half of the Greek islands as its own.

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