A Norway-based NGO has supported Türkiye's opposition to the militarization of Greek islands in the Aegean, saying such a move can be "provocation."
In response to a tweet by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Aegean Boat Report wrote: "Filling the islands with American military equipment can be seen, by some, as a provocation, especially since it's a violation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty."
Türkiye has been arguing that the militarization of the islands is a violation of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty.
The NGO was targeted by Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi after its response to Mitsotakis.
Mitarachi claimed that the Aegean Boat Report helps people smuggle and "maybe (it's) financed by the East."
The Aegean Boat Report strongly denied accusations, saying Mitarachi's claims are "lies" in a statement.
"Both claims Mr. Mitarachi has made about us are false, and it is impossible to believe that he does not know this. Deliberately spreading false information is lying," said the statement.
Greece and Türkiye have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, overflights in the Aegean Sea and the divided island of Cyprus.
Relations between the two neighboring countries and fellow NATO members have deteriorated in recent years.
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, saying that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts toward peace.
International developments continue to show how critical Türkiye is for Europe, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday. "In fact, every development in the world reveals the fact that Türkiye is indispensable for the European Union and the European region," Erdoğan said after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
Erdoğan's remarks came after his visit last week to the Czech capital Prague to attend the first European Political Community meeting to convey Türkiye's views, contributions, and assessments of the challenges Europe faces in terms of peace and security, energy, the climate, and the economy.
During his meetings in Prague, Erdoğan said Türkiye wants to solve the Aegean and Mediterranean problems within the framework of international law.
Erdoğan urged the EU to call on Greece to enter dialogue on a bilateral basis instead of supporting illegal initiatives masquerading as unity or solidarity.
