Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis avoided direct comment on the reinstatement of F-35 fighter jet sales to Türkiye by the U.S. but urged NATO to be sensitive to an “open threat of war.”
He was speaking on Wednesday right outside the Turkish president's front door as he joined other leaders arriving for a key NATO summit. One day earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump, after a warm welcome from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, signaled that they would consider selling jets to Türkiye, seven years after a ban was imposed on the country. Trump has also pledged to lift the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions on Türkiye as he heaped praise on Erdoğan.
Mitsotakis, who held several talks in the past with Erdoğan for rapprochement between the two former foes, said the issue could be resolved through “good neighborly ties and cooperation” and expressed pleasure at visiting Ankara, adding that he favored improving relations between Türkiye and Greece. Yet, he also stated, “Sensitivities of all NATO allies should be taken into consideration against plans of Türkiye to expand its territorial waters.”
Ankara and Athens seek to improve relations after years of hostilities, but maritime jurisdictions remain a thorny issue. The countries, which came close to an all-out war in the 1990s over the Aegean Sea, remain vigilant, with Türkiye concentrating on developing a domestic defense industry. Greece relies on foreign partners to boost its defenses. Embracing the doctrine of being effective and powerful at sea, as its predecessor, the Ottomans, were, Türkiye in the past two decades has developed an independent defense industry capable of operating in open waters, thereby shifting geopolitical balances in its favor. The navy plays a critical role in ensuring the security of maritime trade routes in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, promoting regional stability.
