Greek defense minister says Turkey has no Aegean continental shelf rights; Ankara accuses Athens of island militarization

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on Tuesday rejected Turkish claims to the Aegean continental shelf, while Turkey's Defense Ministry accused Athens of violating demilitarization treaties for Eastern Aegean islands.

Speaking in Athens at the 3rd International Conference on Maritime Security, Dendias said, "Turkey is not – and must not become – our primary concern." He claimed Turkey had no rights in the continental shelf in the Aegean Sea and warned that Turkey's "incursion" would face a robust response due to Greece's growing missile capacity.

In March, Turkish Defense Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk spoke at the ministry's weekly press briefing in Ankara, saying Greek actions regarding the islands violate the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. "The initiatives by Greece that violate the status of the islands contrary to duly concluded treaties both create legal violations and damage our neighborly and allied relations," Aktürk said.

Turkey's Defense Ministry stated that islands such as Limnos and Karpathos must remain demilitarized under the treaties. "These fait accompli attempts do not lead to the unilateral termination of the demilitarized status," the ministry said.

The ministry also said Greece aims to deploy five different types of missile systems on Aegean islands and near the Turkish-Greek land border under the "Achilles’ Shield" project.