Türkiye| The military equipment of the islands on the table of Turkey-Greece exploratory contacts

Defence Redefined

Published on 16/03/2021 at 16:22

The military equipment of the islands under a regime of demilitarization, but also of the islands and islets whose regime, according to Turkey, remains unspecified are on the table of exploratory talks with Greece, according  to the Türkiye newspaper.

According to the Turkish newspaper, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal will lead the Turkish delegation in the talks, which are expected to last two days.

The Turkish and Greek delegations will look into the issues discussed in the previous round, the current situation in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, the steps that can be taken in certain areas and the latest developments between the two countries.

“The talks in Athens will focus on issues such as the continental shelf, maritime jurisdiction, territorial waters, military equipment and deployment of troops on demilitarized islands, airspace as well as on islands and islets with unspecified regime,” according to the newspaper.

Turkiye also states that “the meeting will focus on contentious issues between Turkey and Greece and will discuss the military equipment of the Greek islands, as well as the issue of the continental shelf and the airspace in the Aegean, which have remained unresolved between the two countries for many years.

“At the meeting, the Turkish side will highlight once again to the Greek counterparts that the military equipment of the islands under a regime of demilitarization violates international law and the Treaties of Lausanne in 1923 and Paris in 1947. It will also be pointed out once again to Greece, which claims that its airspace is 10 miles despite the fact that it has 6 miles of territorial waters in the Aegean, that there are no similar examples internationally. Turkey will also stress that Athens’ intention to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean to 12 miles will be considered a ’cause of war’ by Ankara.”

Also read: 62nd round of Greek-Turkish exploratory talks in Athens – Reaction to the EuroAsia Interconnector cable

 

Source: CNA