Greece warns Türkiye over maritime disputes as regional tensions rise

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has issued a warning to Türkiye, stating that “the Greece of passive diplomatic stagnation is now definitively a thing of the past.”

“Any attempt to violate our sovereign rights will be met with all the means at our disposal,” the Greek minister said.

Describing the marine parks backed by Türkiye as “illegal and without legal validity”, Gerapetritis emphasised that while Greece continues to seek peace, it remains “fully prepared for any scenario”.

In an interview with Greek television channel OPEN TV, Gerapetritis said Greece was ready to respond on the ground if Ankara takes steps that Athens considers violations of its rights.

Asked about the possibility of Türkiye deploying warships to the region, Gerapetritis stated that Greece would not shy away from responding and possessed various options.

“It is obvious that Greece will fully exercise its sovereign rights,” Gerapetritis said, adding:

“We will do whatever is necessary. We will respond to provocations, and we will do so from a position of strength.”

When asked whether Greece would respond if Türkiye sent frigates to the area, Gerapetritis highlighted Greece’s capability to deploy its own vessels, without specifying numbers.

“Greece has proved that it can send frigates and F-16s; from next year onwards, it will also deploy F-35s,” the minister said.

The Greek foreign minister also pointed to Greece’s ongoing military build-up, referencing Rafale fighter jets, upgraded F-16s, Belharra-class frigates, and the F-35 fighters expected to join the Greek armed forces in the future.

Gerapetritis asserted that Greece had “already proved its strength” during the recent crisis in Cyprus and the Middle East.

“Yes, we want peace. But we want it from a position of strength. In security and without fear complexes,” the minister said.

Athens intensifies diplomatic moves

While intensifying its diplomatic efforts against what it terms Turkish “provocations” and “violations of international law” in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece is also preparing for a range of potential scenarios linked to ongoing regional disputes.

According to a report in Kathimerini, Athens is moving to formally brief European partners, allies, and international organisations regarding Türkiye’s actions, including steps related to the declaration of marine parks.

Minister Gerapetritis is expected to present the Greek position at the European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting, while preparations continue for diplomatic representations directed at both Türkiye and international bodies.

“The Greek government and I personally have, since last week, officially brought all of Türkiye’s provocative actions to the attention of all European authorities,” Gerapetritis said on Sunday.

Greek officials argue that Ankara has moved away from a period of relative calm, returning to a strategy focused on long-standing claims and demands that Türkiye attempts to place on the bilateral agenda.

In this context, Athens states that it is preparing for all possible developments, particularly regarding the resumption of work on the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnector cable and the continuation of seabed surveys.

Mitsotakis says work on electricity cable will proceed

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that reactions coming from the “east” would not affect Greece’s plans.

“Greece’s sovereign domains are indisputable, and we are ready to defend them at any moment,” Mitsotakis said.

He added that Greece aims to establish good neighbourly relations with Türkiye, but does not discuss “any issue other than the delimitation of the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.”

Gerapetritis also defended the government’s foreign policy, arguing that it had bolstered Greece’s international standing.

Stating that this period of relative calm did not mean stepping back from fundamental national positions, the minister stressed that “for the first time in recent decades, Greece holds the initiative.”

Addressing a potential Turkish reaction to the electricity cable works, the foreign minister said Greece would respond “in any appropriate manner” and do whatever is necessary to protect national interests.

If necessary, “frigates and modernized F-16s will be deployed,” the minister added, concluding: “The Greek public should not worry.”

Prospect of tension in Aegean grows

Meanwhile, Greece is preparing a series of measures against escalating tensions following Ankara’s declaration of two marine parks in the northeastern Aegean and near Kastellorizo, as well as its revival of the long-debated “grey zones” theory in the Aegean.

According to Kathimerini, Greek officials state that Athens is closely monitoring recent Turkish moves. Officials believe these actions mark the end of the period of relative calm in bilateral relations.

Nevertheless, the government argues that Türkiye’s strategy will become clearer in the coming weeks through two key developments.

The first concerns the publication of terms, restrictions, or bans that Türkiye may impose on activities such as fishing, maritime navigation, and research within its designated marine parks. The second is how Ankara will react to planned research resumptions related to the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project.

Athens has already begun implementing certain measures. According to officials, high-level bilateral contacts have effectively been frozen.

A meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York is now seen as highly unlikely.

The same assessment applies to a possible meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

Greece is also expected to take a tougher stance on issues concerning EU-Türkiye relations. Beyond excluding Ankara from the SAFE programme, Athens is expected to oppose progress on matters of major interest to Türkiye, such as modernising the customs union, visa liberalisation, and Türkiye’s role as an energy hub connecting Europe with the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Greek officials also note that extending territorial waters south of Crete up to 12 nautical miles is among the options under consideration.

Mitsotakis to prepare for elections with foreign policy

According to another report by Kathimerini, Prime Minister Mitsotakis plans to keep national security matters at the centre of his election campaign, regardless of how Greek-Turkish relations develop.

Mitsotakis had faced private criticism, even from within his own New Democracy (ND) party, over his “calm waters” approach towards Ankara.

Sources familiar with the matter stated that Mitsotakis will not seek to keep foreign policy off the pre-election agenda, but will instead make it part of the election campaign.

This approach is partly a necessity: opposition parties, particularly the new political formation expected to be established by Antonis Samaras, are likely to focus heavily on criticising the government’s handling of foreign affairs.

Analysts predict that Greece-Türkiye tensions will remain at the forefront, citing the marine parks Türkiye plans to establish and renewed efforts to construct an electricity interconnector cable linking Greece and Cyprus.

Greece-Israel ties warm up again

Touching upon Greece’s relations with Israel, Gerapetritis stated that cooperation with Tel Aviv was not an “over-investment”, but rather part of a broader, multi-layered foreign policy in which Athens maintains open channels with the Arab world.

Greek officials said relations between Israel and Greece were “warming up again” and that security cooperation between the two countries would expand.

Defence industry sources told N12: “The war delayed processes; now, with the end of the war, talks with Greece have resumed more intensively.”

The same sources described the recent aerial exercise conducted by the two countries over the Mediterranean as a “message to the Turks.”

“From now on, military cooperation between Israel and Greece will be stronger and more visible,” sources told N12.

Meanwhile, Greek media outlet Pro News recently published a report outlining a potential scenario in which a possible military confrontation between Israel and Türkiye could spill over into the Eastern Mediterranean, potentially drawing in Cyprus.

According to the report, Tel Aviv is alleged to be considering strikes against Turkish targets in Northern Cyprus if it concludes that Türkiye’s military presence there threatens Israeli interests.

The report cited Israel’s operation against the Abu Zuhur base in Idlib as a possible model.

According to Pro News, one scenario mentioned in the report includes a strike on Ercan Airport in Northern Cyprus and a Turkish naval base near Kyrenia where warships are expected to be deployed.

However, the report contained no official indication that Israel has decided to carry out such an operation.