Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to "peace and stability in the Aegean," while decrying Greece's "expansionist and aggressive policies."
"Unfortunately, our neighbor Greece continues its expansionist and aggressive policies with its provocative actions and discourse that fuels instability," Akar said.
He said Türkiye remains open to dialogue, but will not allow any fait accompli on issues related to Cyprus or the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean seas.
He also denounced the recent intervention of Greek warplanes in a NATO training mission over the Aegean, saying such hostile steps are evidence of Athens' arrogance and ignorance of NATO's basic principles.
"We expect an impartial, objective, reasonable, and logical approach from our other NATO allies, especially the US, on this matter," he added.
Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under treaty obligations. It says that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts for peace.
On the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, Akar said Türkiye expects "positive and concrete steps" from the U.S.
Ankara has hailed Washington's recent move to exclude certain restrictive conditions on the sale of F-16s from the final version of the US defense budget bill.
Ankara requested F-16s and modernization kits in October 2021. The $6 billion deal would include the sale of 40 jets, as well as modernization kits for 79 warplanes that the Turkish Air Force already has in its inventory.
Akar held a series of bilateral talks on the margins of the Summit of Defense Ministers with his Azerbaijani and Georgian counterparts Zakir Hasanov and Juansher Burchuladze.
The gathering took place for the ninth time this year. Following the summit, the three ministers inked a “final declaration.”
Ahead of the summit, Akar, Hasanov and Burchuladze went on a brief walk at the Erciyes Skiing Center, a top spot in the city that has recently witnessed the first snow of the season.
Georgia connects all three countries as it shares a border with both Türkiye and Azerbaijan. They have been cooperating to ensure peace and stability in the South Caucasus region, which has been witness to several decades of conflict, especially between Azerbaijan and its neighbor Armenia. Since the Karabakh War of 2020 between Baku and Yerevan, Ankara has made frequent calls for a six-nation platform comprising Türkiye, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region.
The three nations are also members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), alongside Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and North Macedonia. PABSEC, founded in the 1980s, is a platform aimed at elevating Black Sea nations internationally and enhancing mutual respect, confidence, dialogue and cooperation among the member states in the spirit of friendship.
