Turkish National Security Council takes aim at US over defences on Greek islands, arms sales to Cyprus

By George Gilson

The Turkish National Security Council (MSG), in a statement issued after a marathon four-hour meeting today, slammed Washington over its support of Greece’s sovereignty over and right to defensively arm its Eastern Aegean islands, as well as over the recent US decision to lift an arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus, 37 percent of which is under Turkish occupation.

Stern response from Greek foreign ministry

The statement declared that Ankara “will protect its rights with all legal means”, as Ankara claims that there have been “increased provocative actions of Greece” in the region.

The Greek foreign ministry issued a swift and stern reply to the MSG’s statement on the protection of Turkish “rights”, making it perfectly clear that Ankara’s rights end at red line of Greek sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Turkey has every right to defend its interests by all legal means, subject to the basic condition that it accepts the rules of International Law. However, it has no right to flagrantly violate International Law and threaten Greece with war (casus belli),” the statement read, alluding to Turkey’s threat of war if Greece under international law extends its Aegean territorial waters from 6nm to 12nm, and to Athens’ oft-stated determination to fiercely protect every inch of Greece’s territorial integrity.

“Greece makes no claim against Turkey. It is in favour of dialogue on the basis of International Law. It will, however, defend its legal interests and rights should the need arise, the statement concluded.

US State Department’s clear message to Ankara

US State Department spokesman Ned Price once again issued a statement in support of Greece’s sovereign rights over its islands immediately after the Turkish National Security Council statement, slamming Greece on a series of matters, was issued.

In his statement, he stressed that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, and that Greece’s sovereignty over its Aegean islands is non-negotiable.

With its extremely bellicose stance and constant threats of war against Greece, it is clear that Erdogan is creating a deep rift in NATO at a critical juncture in the Russo-Ukrainian war, when the unity of the Alliance is a paramount objective. Moreover, Turkey is the only NATO country that has imposed no sanctions on Russia.

Ankara at loggerheads with Washington over Cyprus

Washington’s lifting of its arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus has caused extreme consternation in Ankara.

Turkey maintains 40,000 troops in occupied Cyprus but has said it will beef up its military presence there in response to Washington’s lifting of the embargo.

Ankara’s longstanding position on the Cyprus problem is that the only solution is recognition of two states, which is to say elevating the status of the occupation regime to that of an internationally recognised state.

Cyprus, Greece, the US, and the EU have steadfastly and strongly rejected any consideration of such a solution, insisting on the creation of the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation enshrined in numerous UN Security Council resolutions over the last 48 years of Turkish occupation.

Turkey slams  US  over militarisation of Greek islands

In Ankara, the MSG’s statement called on «countries supporting Greece’s provocative, illegal actions in the Aegean Sea» to “come to their senses”.

This was a reference to US support for Greece’s militarisation, including armoured vehicles, of its Eastern Aegean islands, to defend them from Turkey’s 130,000-strong Aegean army on the Turkish coast of Anatolia, a few nautical miles from the islands.

On 26 September, the Turkish foreign ministry summoned Greece’s Ambassador to Ankara, Christodoulos Lazaris, to deliver a demarche over the alleged transport of US-made armoured vehicles to the large and densely populated Aegean islands of Samos and Lesvos.

«The circles encouraging Greece to deploy arms on islands with a demilitarized status have been urged to come to their senses,» the MSG statement said, in a thinly veiled reference to the US.

The MSG directly called on the U.S. to revoke its decision, taken earlier this month, to lift in 2023 the arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus, declaring that the move «contradicts the spirit of the [NATO] alliance», and will undermine regional stability and efforts at a peace deal [which have completely stalled due to Ankara’s stubborn insistence on international recognition of a Turkish-Cypriot state].

The decision was also condemned by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, who echoed Ankara in declaring it would lead to further escalation in the region,

The Turkish National Security Council statement:

“Despite our calls for it to implement its obligations arising from international law and treaties, Greece continues its illegal actions [arming its islands] and all its provocative actions were reviewed.

“Greece has so distanced itself from logic that it reached the point of sabotaging NATO actions and attacking ships sailing in international waters.

US should ‘come to its senses’

“The circles [a clear reference to the US, as the Turkish Ambassador in Washington recently filed a formal diplomatic complaint with the State Department on the alleged transport of American heavy arms to the Greek islands] that encourage Greece to arm islands with a demilitarised status should come to their senses. We shall employ all manner of legal methods and means for [the protection of] the rights and interests of our nation.”

While Turkey is the only country in the world that recognises the breakaway “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, the MSG declared that Ankara will continue its so far failed campaign for recognition by other countries