Greece arms eastern Aegean islands despite international agreements
Greece continues to arm the Eastern Aegean islands in violation of the agreements, claiming that Turkey is a threat to it in the Aegean.
Answering the questions of journalists on the plane on his return from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "It is not possible for us to remain silent about the military activities carried out in violation of the agreements on the islands with a disarmed status. As a matter of fact, we have brought this issue to the agenda of the United Nations (UN). We will continue to keep it on the agenda.” His statement revealed Turkey's sensitivity on this issue.
Letter from Ankara to the UN on the subject
Turkey filed a complaint with the UN in July about the Athens administration's actions violating the demilitarized status of the eastern Aegean islands.
In the letter addressed to the Secretary General Antonio Guterres, signed by Feridun Sinirlioğlu, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the UN, "We would like to bring to your attention once again that Greece does not fulfill its obligations arising from the relevant agreements on the disarmament of the islands in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas." expression was used.
The letter emphasized the proximity of the said islands, including Meis, to the mainland of Turkey, and underlined that although it was clearly stated in the 1923 Lausanne and 1947 Paris Peace Treaties, the arming of the islands by Greece constituted a serious threat to Turkey's security.
In the letter, which pointed out that Turkey has repeatedly expressed Greece's violations on the islands through diplomatic channels, "If Greece fails to fulfill its obligations under the agreements, it cannot assert its sovereign rights arising from those agreements, including the determination of maritime jurisdiction areas." statement was included.
"You cannot ignore the Treaty of Lausanne and Paris"
In a statement to reporters within the scope of the 58th Munich Security Conference, Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar drew attention to the provocative actions of Greece against the spirit of alliance and said, "We have international law and bilateral agreements regarding these. You cannot ignore the Treaty of Lausanne, the Treaty of Paris. You will implement the articles of these agreements under your signature, you will not implement the ones you do not want. There is no such thing in the world."
Greece sees arming the islands as a "right of self-defense"
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in a statement in January, "Turkey has placed the largest amphibious force and the largest amphibious fleet in the Mediterranean against our islands, and at the same time asks us to disarm our islands." He argued that Greece's arming of the islands in question had a "right of self-defense".
Treaty of Lausanne and Paris
Article 13 of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, signed in 1923 after the First World War, states that "In order to maintain the peace, the Greek Government has not established any naval bases or fortifications on the islands of Lesvos (Lesvos), Chios (Chios), Samos (Samos) and Nikaria (Ahikeria). won't install." statement is included.
The Dodecanese Islands, located in the Eastern Aegean region, were transferred to Italy with the Treaty of Uşi signed after the Tripoli War of 1912 and remained under the sovereignty of Italy until the Treaty of Paris signed after the Second World War.
Due to the fact that Italy was on the losing side in the Second World War, these islands were transferred to Greece with the Treaty of Paris signed between the allied countries and Italy on February 10, 1947.
In this context, Astypalaia (Astypalya), Rhodes, Chalki (Herke), Karpathos (Kerpe), Kasos (Çoban Island), Tilos (Ilyaki Island), Nisiros (Incirli Island), Kalymnos, which are referred to as "The Dodecanese Islands" ceded to Greece. (Kelemez Island), Leros (Ileriye Island), Patmos (Batnaz Island), Lipsos (Lipsi Island), Simi (Sömbeki Island), Kos (Kos Island), Kastellorizo (Meis Island) and the small islets nearby cannot be "armed" determined by the agreement.
In the Treaty of Paris, "These islands will be demilitarized and will remain demilitarized." statement is included.
The "Twelve Islands" does not consist of 12 islands as its name suggests. The group of islands, which includes many pieces of land, consists of more than 20 islands, islets and cliffs in total.
Armed since 1960
Despite Turkey's objections and treaty obligations, Greece continues to violate the demilitarized status of the Aegean Islands by arming the islands since the 1960s.
On the other hand, while accepting the mandatory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in 1993, Greece made reservations to the mandatory jurisdiction regarding matters arising from military measures related to "national security interests".
While Greece aimed to prevent a debate on the armament of the islands from going to the International Court of Justice in this way, this situation revealed that Athens tacitly accepted that Greece violated its treaty obligations.
