March 12, 2026

Athens News

News in English from Greece

“We want Greek islands”: Turkey has openly talked about expansion


Statements that until recently were considered marginal are increasingly heard in the Turkish public space. Turkish “journalist” and outspoken propagandist Ibrahim Karagul stated: “We want the Greek islands – this is a natural extension of Anatolia”.

Karagul is well known for its close ties with presidential palace in Ankara and influence in the environment Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the past he has acted as “test balloon”announcing in advance steps that were later formalized into official policy – from pressure on Kurdish elected mayors to attacks to the leader Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

This time the object of his attention was Greek-Turkish relations. In an article published in a pro-government newspaper Yeni ŞafakKaragül describes Turkey as a state that is supposedly finally emerging from “Western tutelage” and pretending to be “new empire of the 21st century”.

The text directly draws a parallel between global actions USA and Turkish claims in the Aegean Sea. Karagul states: “If Trump takes Greenland, Türkiye will also open the door to the return of the Aegean islands, which were unjustly taken away and are a natural extension of Anatolia.”.

“Don’t be surprised or shocked – it will definitely happen”he adds, leaving no doubt about the aggressive nature of his statements.

Thus, US geopolitical games are used as an excuse for Ankara’s territorial claims. In fact, we are talking about an attempt to legitimize a possible revision of borders in the Aegean Sea under the guise of global instability.

In the title of her article, Karagul states unequivocally: “The Age of Empires has begun”. What follows is a multi-page stream of ideological text proclaiming the end “the era of international organizations”, “the end of the use of terrorism as a tool” and the supposedly inevitable unification of regions from Persian Gulf to Mediterranean.

A special place in the article is occupied by the topic Syria, YPG And PKKwhich Karagul declares completely doomed. According to him, support for these structures from USA And Israel has been exhausted, and the region is entering a phase “cleansing” from all similar organizations.

A separate block of text is dedicated to Israelto whom the author actually predicts the loss of role and influence. In an ultimatum tone it is stated that after the collapse of “organizations” “it will be Israel’s turn”and Türkiye will allegedly reach its borders on Golan Heights.

The most significant is the direct threat against Greece And Greek Cypriot side. Karagül claims that the countries that have built a front against Turkey in Mediterranean And Aegean Sea together with Israel, “will pay a heavy price”.

According to him, neither Europenor Israel will not be able to protect Greece, and Western help will be symbolic: “fifty soldiers in Greece and one in Cyprus”while “The islands will already change their owner”.

In fact, this is not about journalism, but about a live broadcast of expansionist thinking. Turkish propaganda no longer disguises itself as analytical reasoning and openly talks about the revision of borders as a natural and inevitable process.

This is not random rhetoric or personal opinion – this is reaction testing. And the quieter the answer, the louder such statements will continue to sound.



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