Turkey's Defense Ministry fired back at Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after his visit to Kastellorizo this we...

Turkey's Defense Ministry fired back at Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after his visit to Kastellorizo this week, claiming the presence of military forces and a warship on the island violates the 1947 Treaty of Peace with Italy. Ankara said it "closely monitored" the visit and his meetings with troops stationed there. The Turkish ministry insisted Kastellorizo was ceded to Greece on the condition it remain demilitarized, and that publicly displaying military assets during high-level visits is "incompatible with the status of the island." Ankara's statement singled out the island's proximity to the Turkish coast as a factor in its objections. Turkey warned that "efforts to create faits accomplis" on Kastellorizo "will not be accepted" and called on Greece to comply with what it describes as obligations under international treaties. The ministry framed its position as protecting rights under international law, while simultaneously calling for dialogue and "good neighborliness." Greece has long rejected Ankara's demilitarization arguments, pointing out that Turkey's own military provocations in the Aegean and its occupation of northern Cyprus undermine any claim to the moral high ground on treaty compliance. Mitsotakis' visit to Kastellorizo, one of the easternmost Greek islands sitting just two kilometers from the Turkish coast, was seen in Athens as a routine assertion of Greek sovereignty. Turkey has repeatedly used the demilitarization argument as diplomatic leverage, targeting multiple Aegean islands over recent years. Greek officials have countered that Greece has the full right to defend its territory under international law, regardless of Ankara's interpretations of post-war treaties. #Greece #Turkey #Kastellorizo