Bartu ÖzdenSpeaking at "EFES 2022", the Turkish Armed Forces' largest combined joint field exercise in the Aegean region, President Erdoğan said that the unity of the NATO alliance has increased in importance at a time of escalating conflicts. "We regret that in such a critical period, strategies that threaten the rights and interests of our country based on international agreements in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Cyprus are being pursued. Some Greek politicians are trying to set the agenda with unprecedented recklessness in the world with words and actions that are far from reality and contrary to logic, reason, and law."Erdoğan invited Greece to "give up arming the islands with non-military status, to act following international agreements, to stay away from dreams and actions that will result in regret, just like a century ago, and to come to its senses." "I am not joking, speaking seriously. If this nation says something, it follows it up," President Erdoğan said, adding, "Mr. Mitsotakis is probably making a touristic landing on the islands. It is not possible to get anywhere with this. Turkey does not violate anyone's rights and laws, but it will not let anyone violate its rights and laws."<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Response from Greece</h2>The Greek Foreign Ministry responded to Ankara with maps that it claimed showed the "situation established by international agreements."&nbsp;First showed the maps, which mark areas such as Turkey's Blue Homeland doctrine, its agreement with Libya, and the zones it has licensed for energy exploration. And the Greek Foreign Ministry claimed that it "documents the extent of Turkish revisionism aimed at upsetting the status quo, violating International Law and International Maritime Law and threatening peace, security, and stability in our region."<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">One step behind</h2>Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the US Congress that a two-state solution in Cyprus would not be accepted and accused Turkey of violating Greece's sovereignty. Erdoğan said that despite his promise not to involve third countries in bilateral relations, Mitsotakis was "discarded for him" after this speech. Mitsotakis said, "I think we will talk at some point because we need to talk. I don't hold a grudge, but I will defend our positions, making sure we are right."Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had also stated that if the military presence on the islands will not terminate then the sovereignty of the islands would be discussed. It was given to Greece on the condition of not weaponizing them.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Disarmament of the islands</h2>The Treaty of Lausanne, signed in 1923, stipulates the demilitarization of the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, and Nicaria, and the Turkish islands of Gökçeada and Bozcaada. The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1947, which transferred the Dodecanese Islands from Italy to Greece, stipulates that only enough forces should be stationed on these islands to ensure public order.Greece attributes the violation, which began in 1952 by arming the island of Leros and accelerated after the 1960s, to "a radical change of circumstances". In September 2020, TRT World <a fr-original-style="" href="https://twitter.com/TRTWorldNow/status/1301139881368920065" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">filmed</a> military activities on the island of Meis, which is supposed to be unarmed. The Greek government argues that Greece has a "right to self-defense" due to Turkey's military concentration in the Aegean region.In February 2022, Turkey<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/yunanistan-uluslararasi-anlasmalara-ragmen-dogu-ege-adalarini-silahlandiriyor/2506398" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank"> mailed</a> a letter to the United Nations stating that "Greece has failed to fulfill its obligations under international agreements, poses a serious threat to Turkey's security by arming the islands. If it fails to fulfill its treaty obligations, it will not be able to exercise its treaty-based sovereign rights, including the determination of maritime jurisdiction."The CHP and the IYI Party have long called on the government to take steps to resolve the issue of Greece's armament of 16 non-military islands in violation of treaties.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Details of the military exercises</h2>MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli and the Prime Minister of Libya, as well as the defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Gambia, Cameroon, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, and Rwanda, and the chiefs of staff of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Hungary, and Pakistan attended today's distinguished observer day of the exercise. It is possible to interpret the fact that the comprehensive military exercise, which was carried out by the Air, Land, and Naval Forces together, was held at a time of escalating tensions with Greece as a message to Greece.

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