“I think they’d hear us from Greece if we shout from Kaş,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told journalists when asked how Türkiye would respond to Greece’s arming of the Aegean islands.
Türkiye has recently declared an area between Kaş and Fethiye in the south, as well as several other areas in the Aegean Sea, as “marine parks” in a move that angered Greece, which has consistently contested Türkiye’s maritime borders.
Erdoğan answered questions while returning from Kyrgyzstan, where he attended a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday. In remarks published on Wednesday, he said Türkiye sought to advance relations with Greece on the basis of good neighborliness. “We have always been sincere and constructive, but this was not reciprocated most of the time,” Erdoğan said.
Türkiye opposes any Greek military deployment on the eastern Aegean islands, arguing that they should remain demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. Greece, however, cites a “threat” from Türkiye and says it has the right under international law to defend its sovereignty. The two countries have recently been at odds over the declaration of marine parks to preserve marine biodiversity, with both accusing each other of attempting to violate their maritime borders.
Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye has pursued a rapprochement with Greece after decades of lukewarm diplomatic ties and nearly two decades after the two countries came close to an all-out war over their Aegean dispute. Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have met several times over the past two years, but their warm meetings have done little to change the state of relations over the maritime dispute.
“Greece should know that Türkiye has no intention of grabbing the territory of any other country, but Türkiye also has no intention of allowing anyone to violate its rights. Ignoring international treaties will not benefit anyone. Anyone who interprets Türkiye’s level-headed approach based on common sense as weakness is making a grave mistake. Greece should reverse course and stop arming demilitarized islands. History is a good guide for those who can learn from the past,” Erdoğan said.
The Republic of Türkiye cemented its independence more than a century ago under the leadership of its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, after expelling invading Greek forces. “We will continue working for peace, security and stability,” Erdoğan added.
In a related development, Israel and Greece signed a 3 billion euros ($3.48 billion) defense deal on Monday under which Israel will build a “multilayered” defense system for Greece. A supplementary deal valued at 26 million euros will see Israel sell Greece Drone Dome systems to protect strategic sites against drones and reinforce existing defenses.
Both countries are at odds with Türkiye. Ankara has repeatedly warned against Israel’s expansionist goals across the region. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has previously warned that Türkiye may be the next target of Israel after the Netanyahu administration launched a genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Erdoğan also commented on Türkiye’s ambitions to advance relations with the SCO to a “higher level.” He said the summit he attended in Bishkek had been a concrete indicator of Türkiye’s will to diversify its economic, political and strategic options at the international level.
“We have bilateral trade and economic relations with SCO member states. In our relations with the Organization, significant progress has been made in recent years, reflecting our multidimensional foreign policy approach. Türkiye is a country capable of developing balanced relations with both the West and the East and deepening its ties with both sides accordingly. Türkiye’s approach also strengthens our aim of finding solutions to global challenges based on cooperation and effective multilateralism. From our perspective, it is possible to take our relations with the SCO to even higher levels in the period ahead,” he said.
Türkiye is a dialogue partner of the bloc, and Erdoğan said Türkiye’s perspective on membership in the SCO “does not in any way mean breaking away from one bloc or turning its back on the West. Our goal is to increase our own weight and influence with a 360-degree vision.”
The Turkish leader also had a rare meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit. He said their talks were very fruitful and that they had particularly discussed the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He hailed significant cooperation with Russia in fields ranging from tourism to energy.
“Concluding the conflict through peace is also Mr. Putin’s expectation,” Erdoğan said. “This conflict has had bad consequences for our region and the world, and Mr. Putin is not pleased with this. I conveyed to Mr. Putin that we were ready to do anything for peace,” he said. Türkiye is among the few countries that have achieved some progress toward partial peace between the two countries.
Maritime security in the Black Sea amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict was also on Erdoğan’s agenda. Several Turkish commercial vessels have come under fire over the past two months while sailing through the Black Sea. Erdoğan said the conflict should not “come to a point where the security of civilians and trade security erode.” “We have to resolve this issue because the damage is growing. We need a mechanism for lasting security in maritime shipping in the Black Sea,” he said.
Erdoğan also commented on Türkiye’s joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The agreement evolved into the Mecca Defense Alliance as ministers from the three countries came together in Istanbul on Monday to discuss its future. Erdoğan said the meeting was very important.
“In line with our approach of taking concrete steps as soon as possible, we have identified the issues that need to be addressed from a technical standpoint. Chief among these is the establishment of the secretariat and making it fully operational. Military and political issues need to be addressed here. The defense industry is an important area of cooperation. In terms of military operational cooperation, technical issues such as military training, military standardization, and the sharing of information on military threats, capabilities and capacities were also discussed. Decisions were made on when and how these initiatives will be implemented,” Erdoğan said.
“There are very few countries that have openly opposed this alliance, but there are also countries that have expressed opposition behind the scenes. In particular, the balance among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye makes it difficult for many actors to openly criticize the alliance. This alliance was established to promote stability and security in our region. We will continue on our path together with our brothers, growing stronger,” he said.
Asked about the terror-free Türkiye initiative aimed at the dissolution of the terrorist group PKK, Erdoğan said that the timetable for the process was not clear. “You can’t set a schedule on such issues,” he said. “This is not about timing anyway; it is about reaching our goal. Certainly, we have a road map, and our institutions work in coordination,” he said.
Türkiye’s Parliament earlier this month passed a landmark 12-article law supporting the initiative, following months of political efforts led by Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli.
The legislation outlines legal procedures for members of the PKK terrorist group who lay down their arms and surrender to Turkish authorities as the organization moves toward dissolution and disarmament. It includes provisions allowing the deferral of prosecution or prison sentences in certain circumstances, while establishing different legal procedures depending on an individual’s position within the organization and involvement in criminal activity.
The law does not constitute a general amnesty and does not eliminate existing convictions, change the legal classification of crimes, or broadly remove criminal liability, according to the justification accompanying the legislation.
“The monitoring board established under the leadership of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has begun planning the steps to be taken within the framework of the duties defined by law. For the law to begin to be implemented, however, the PKK must actually lay down its arms and disband. It is clear how the necessary assessments and verification will be carried out in this regard. The process is moving forward step by step. It has not been confined to rigid parameters in every respect. There is also a degree of flexibility in this regard. We are approaching the issue with the seriousness of the state and taking our steps accordingly. Our nation has also demonstrated its support for a terror-free Türkiye. Processes that are open to such provocations should not be allowed to drag on for too long,” he said.
Türkiye also links the initiative to stability in the wider region. In this context, the dissolution of the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, is viewed as crucial by Ankara. After two years, the YPG reached an agreement with the new administration in Damascus on its integration into the Syrian army. Erdoğan said Türkiye welcomed the news and was following the implementation of the integration agreement.
“We want more than anyone else for Syria to remain united. This is important for achieving sustainable development and building capacity in Syria. We have always stood by our Syrian brothers and sisters to this end, and we will continue to stand by them going forward. In this regard, President Ahmed al-Sharaa has successfully navigated and continues to navigate difficult challenges. We are hopeful about both the integration process and the gains the Syrian people have achieved in a short period of time. I believe this process will open the door to a new era not only for Türkiye and Syria, but for the entire region. The chapter of terrorism must now be closed; the era of weapons and violence must come to an end,” he said.
The integration was also welcomed by the United States, Türkiye’s NATO ally, which controversially supported the YPG in Syria during the Baathist era. Washington has also modified its policy toward Syria and embraced the unity approach of the al-Sharaa administration. “Obviously, the United States eventually grasped the reality in Syria,” Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan also commented on Türkiye’s pursuit of a return to the F-35 fighter jet program with the United States. “The talks are underway to achieve this. We believe we will put all these issues behind us. While we pursue diplomatic efforts, we won’t abandon the development of our Kaan fighter jet. We are committed to developing our own aerial defense systems. As a matter of fact, we are diversifying the options we have. This is how Türkiye becomes stronger,” Erdoğan said.
