Türkiye reacted sharply to the recent visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Kastellorizostating that he would not accept “creation of de facto situations”which Ankara considers incompatible with the demilitarized status of the island.
The statement was made on September 17 by the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. Ankara said it was closely monitoring both the Greek Prime Minister’s trip itself and his contacts with military units stationed on the island.
— Mitsotakis visited Kastellorizo on September 13;
— the Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that it does not recognize “de facto situations” that, according to its version, contradict the demilitarized status of the island;
— Ankara refers to the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947;
— Greece considers Turkish demands legally unfounded;
— Athens emphasizes the right to self-defense and recalls the current Turkish case belli;
— the dispute around Kastellorizo is once again becoming one of the central elements of the Greek-Turkish confrontation.
What exactly did Ankara say?
The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that attempts to create a situation incompatible with Kastellorizo’s “non-military status” allegedly contradict Greece’s international obligations.
Ankara specifically emphasized that the island is located directly off the Turkish coast and that the presence of military units and warships on the island, in its opinion, is incompatible with the regime established after World War II.
The position of the Turkish side is detailed CNN Greece.
Why Ankara refers to the Paris Treaty
Kastellorizo is part of the Dodecanese. According to Paris Peace Treaty 1947Italy handed over the Dodecanese to Greece “in full sovereignty”. At the same time, the agreement contained a provision for the demilitarization of these islands.
It is this provision that Türkiye refers to. The official position of the Turkish Foreign Ministry is that the Dodecanese, including Kastellorizo, must maintain a demilitarized status.
However, the Greek side responds that Türkiye is not a party to the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty and therefore cannot claim rights under its provisions. This argument is detailed on the official page Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Athens: the right to self-defense is not discussed
On September 16, the Greek Foreign Ministry again rejected Ankara’s demands for the demilitarization of the islands.
Athens stated that Greece, as a sovereign state, has the right to take all necessary measures to defend its territory and implement rights to legitimate self-defense.
The Greek side also reiterated the current decision of the Turkish Parliament in 1995, known as case belli: Türkiye is considering a possible expansion of Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea to 12 miles as grounds for war.
The official position of Athens can be read in the message Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Why Kastellorizo is again at the center of controversy
Kastellorizo has long been one of the most sensitive points in Greek-Turkish relations. The island is located just a few kilometers off the Turkish coast, but belongs to Greece and is key to disputes over maritime zones in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Athens News recently wrote about how Turkey’s new marine parks are effectively creating a gap on the map between Kastellorizo and Rhodes.
Another scandal arose in early September, when Kastellorizo was visually absent from the map of Greece in the Prime Minister’s video. Against the backdrop of ongoing territorial disputes, this cartographic error caused additional resonance.
Erdogan has already warned Greece
The current reaction of the Turkish Ministry of Defense did not come suddenly. Back on September 2, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that Greece stop arming the islands, which Ankara considers demilitarized.
He also said that Türkiye “will do what is necessary” if it considers its rights to be violated. “Athens News” examined these statements in detail in the material “Erdogan warns Greece again: ‘Stop arming the islands'”.
At the same time, Ankara has already expressed dissatisfaction with the deployment of Greek air defense systems on the islands and demanded the abandonment of military infrastructure in Rhodes and Karpathos.
Mitsotakis answered from the island itself
Mitsotakis himself, during a visit to Kastellorizo, said that Greece’s desire for stability “does not mean compliance and tolerance of fait accomplis”.
The Prime Minister also spoke about strengthening the country’s defense capabilities and the implementation of the “Shield of Achilles” system.
Thus, both sides continue to publicly adhere to opposing interpretations: Ankara speaks of a violation of treaty obligations, Athens speaks of a state’s sovereign right to defend its territory.
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