Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in the Aegean Sea, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Kastellorizo island, near the Turkish coast, over the weekend amid rising tensions between the two neighbors.

"We invite Greece to adhere to its obligations under international agreements and avoid activities incompatible with the demilitarized status of the islands,” the ministry said in a statement after a weekly press briefing.

"The Greek prime minister’s visit to the island of Kastellorizo with his accompanying delegation and his contacts with military personnel stationed there have been closely followed. The deployment of military personnel and warships on Kastellorizo, which was ceded to Greece under the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty on the condition that it maintain a demilitarized status, and the public display of these military assets as part of high-level visits are incompatible with the island’s status and do not contribute to peace and stability,” the ministry said.

"We once again emphasize that efforts to create a de facto situation in violation of Kastellorizo’s demilitarized status, given its extremely close proximity to the Turkish coast, are incompatible with international obligations and will not be accepted by our country. While Türkiye advocates making the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean areas of peace and stability and developing relations between Türkiye and Greece on the basis of good-neighborly relations and dialogue, this approach does not mean that we will tolerate the disregard of rights and obligations arising from international treaties or the creation of de facto situations on the ground.

"We call on Greece to abide by its obligations arising from international treaties and refrain from activities incompatible with the demilitarized status of the islands concerned. While our country will continue its constructive approach in favor of good-neighborly relations and dialogue in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, it will remain determined to protect its rights and interests arising from international law,” the ministry added.

Mitsotakis said during the visit that the island did not pose a threat to Türkiye, describing it as "a Greek and European outpost.” The visit came weeks after Greece signed a major defense deal with Türkiye’s archfoe Israel and unveiled plans to boost its air defenses.

The ministry also responded to questions about the deployment of a commando brigade to Söke, a western Turkish town opposite the Greek island of Samos, saying it was "an arrangement made in line with the mission and operational requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces” and was approved in June following "evaluations.”

Turkish-Greek tensions also extend to the split island of Cyprus, which is home to Greek Cypriot and Turkish communities. The ministry said a recent U.S. decision to extend the suspension of an arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration until September 2027 was "a step that would affect the delicate balance and security environment on the island.”

The ministry said third parties were expected to avoid activities that may harm this balance and refrain from actions that ignore Turkish Cypriots.

"As a guarantor country, Türkiye will take measures for the security and prosperity of Turkish Cypriots as it did in the past, in cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot authorities,” the ministry said.

Türkiye launched its Peace Operation in 1974 after Greek Cypriot groups stepped up attacks on the Turkish Cypriot community on the island. It is one of three guarantor states, along with the United Kingdom and Greece, which seek a peaceful resolution to the decades-old Cyprus dispute.

Türkiye advocates a solution to the Cyprus issue based on respect for the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).