Türkiye will not allow any sort of fait accompli that targets its national security and interests, a statement released after the National Security Council (MGK) meeting said Wednesday, as it criticized Greece for its policy of provocation and arming efforts, which heighten tensions in the region.
Türkiye and Greece are at odds over several issues, including competing claims to jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants
One of the most recent tensions was caused after Greece reportedly extended 12 nautical miles of its territorial waters to the south and west of the island of Crete.
The statement also highlighted Türkiye’s support for NATO’s open door policy, but said countries aiming to join the bloc need to abide by the spirit and laws of the alliance.
“It is necessary for Finland and Sweden to take concrete steps to fulfill their obligations as per the June 2022 trilateral memorandum in counterterrorism efforts,” the statement read, calling on both countries to meet Ankara’s expectations.
The council also strongly condemned the recent “heinous attacks” on the Muslim holy book Quran, saying that they are “manifestation of anti-Islamic racism, targeting sacred values of billions of people.”
The MGK statement also criticized authorities for allowing and protecting such Islamophobic and racist acts, saying that they are complicit in this hate crime.