Greece's Defense Ministry Characterizes Cavusoglu's Statement as Provocation

The behavior of Turkey, which threatens Greece with war over its right to extend territorial waters by 12 nautical miles, does not befit a NATO ally, and concerns should arise within the alliance regarding such threats from Turkey. This was stated by Greece's Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos while commenting on the remarks made by Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, asserting that Ankara will not allow Greece to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, TASS reported.

“This statement regarding casus belli (a formal reason for declaring war), which pertains to Greece's legal right to exercise its rights, reflects more of a provocative revisionism than the behavior of an ally in the North Atlantic alliance. Therefore, it should cause concern to many,” the minister said.

“As I have already stated, Greece does not threaten but also does not appreciate threats against it,” Panagiotopoulos continued. “The government leads the country and acts based on national interests and the rules that govern peaceful coexistence of states, that is, based on international law.”

Earlier, Greece's new Foreign Ministry spokesperson Giorgos Arnaoutis, when asked by reporters to comment on recent statements from Turkish officials, said that Greece will not accept threats of the use of force from Turkey in the Aegean Sea and opposes those with universally accepted rules based on international law and maritime law.