Greece aspires to build an extensive air defense shield against drones and aircraft amid conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday.
"The course of the war in Ukraine has made us reach the conclusion that Greece has to build an air defense shield, like the one Israel has, which would close our skies to any kind of aerial threats,” Nikos Dendias told broadcaster, SKAI TV.
Citing Türkiye’s success in developing a defense industry that produces and exports state-of-art arms, including combat-proven TB2 Bayraktar drones, T-129 attack helicopters, corvettes and cruise missiles, he said having a modern domestic defense sector is among the government's priorities.
Referring to the effects of conflicts in the region on the country's economy, Dendias said: "If you are only a few hundred miles away from a war, you cannot expect anything good. It has great effects on the economy. Maritime transportation has been seriously negatively affected due to the situation in the Red Sea."
Asked about Türkiye’s reaction to Greece’s plans to establish sea parks in the Aegean and Ionian seas, Dendias replied: "Türkiye must realize we have specific rights in the Aegean Sea, originating from the international law.”
Türkiye cautioned Greece on April 10 against exploiting environmental issues for political gain after Athens announced plans to launch two new marine parks.
The Foreign Ministry urged in a statement Greece not to involve outstanding issues between the two countries concerning the Aegean Sea, including "the status of some islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by international treaties, within the framework of its own agenda."
The statements come ahead of Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Ankara next month to reciprocate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s landmark visit to Athens last December.
Greece and Türkiye, both NATO members, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, flights over the Aegean Sea, and policy toward the ethnically divided island of Cyprus.
However, they have taken high-profile steps to improve their ties in recent years and agreed during Erdoğan's visit to boost trade, keep communication channels open, seek military confidence-building measures to reduce tension and work on issues that have kept them apart, notably in the Aegean Sea.
At the same time, a special limited-access visa enabling Turkish travelers to visit 10 Greek islands for up to a week without applying for full access to the European Union's passport-free travel zone was introduced recently.
