Fidan says Türkiye wants good-neighbourly relations with Greece
Speaking to Turkish journalists following his two-day visit to Syria, Fidan addressed regional developments as well as Türkiye-Greece relations, including Ankara’s concerns over the militarisation of certain Aegean islands.
Fidan calls for avoiding security misunderstandings
“We do not want Greece to become a tool in the hands of those who want to destabilise the region and plunge it into chaos. We want to have good-neighbourly relations,” Fidan said.
He added that misunderstandings, particularly on security issues, should be prevented by both sides.
Fidan said Türkiye has “very serious concerns” about the militarisation of certain islands and claimed that Ankara had already conveyed its concerns to Athens. He specifically referred to islands that Türkiye considers to have a demilitarised status, describing their militarisation as a security threat from Ankara’s perspective.
Ankara raises concerns over island militarisation
Fidan argued that Greece should fulfil what Türkiye considers its obligations under international treaties concerning islands subject to demilitarisation arrangements.
He said Türkiye had raised the issue through bilateral channels as well as within NATO and the United Nations over the years.
“We invite our neighbour and ally Greece to fulfil its obligations under international treaties in a more mature manner, in line with the spirit of the alliance,” Fidan said, adding that Greece should not add another issue to the security challenges facing the region.
The issue remains contested between the two countries. Greek and Turkish governments hold differing interpretations of the relevant international agreements and the legal status of military deployments on Aegean islands. Greek officials have previously rejected Ankara’s interpretation of the demilitarisation provisions.
Fidan discusses Syria and regional stability
A significant part of Fidan’s remarks focused on Syria, where he said Türkiye was closely monitoring the integration process involving the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Fidan said the removal of the SDF as a security threat was a priority and that Ankara was following the implementation of recently announced arrangements. He said Türkiye expected practical developments to be consistent with the messages publicly communicated by the parties involved.
Fidan also identified Israel, in his assessment, as the actor posing the greatest potential threat to Syria’s stability. He argued that regional countries needed to strengthen cooperation and pursue diplomacy in response to instability in the region.
Regional cooperation and the Mecca Alliance
Fidan also spoke about efforts to institutionalise the Mecca Alliance, saying that technical-level discussions among three countries were continuing on issues including the structure of the alliance’s headquarters and staffing.
He said Türkiye aimed to expand the initiative and take more concrete steps.
Addressing recent developments involving Saudi Arabia, Fidan said Türkiye had expressed its support for Riyadh and had conveyed the necessary messages to other parties involved.
Fidan says positive atmosphere with Greece should continue
Returning to Türkiye-Greece relations, Fidan said the positive atmosphere that had emerged between the two countries should be maintained.
He described Greece as both a neighbour and NATO ally and called for Athens to act in accordance with what Türkiye considers its treaty obligations.
Fidan’s remarks come amid continuing discussions between Ankara and Athens over the Aegean, including territorial waters, maritime boundaries, the status of certain islands and other longstanding bilateral issues. Greek and Turkish positions remain different on several of these questions.
Despite those disagreements, Fidan said Türkiye wanted the two countries to maintain good-neighbourly relations and avoid adding new security tensions to an already challenging regional environment.
