Turkey Condemns Greece’s Defense Deployment on…Greek Isle Karpathos

Turkey has raised tensions in the eastern Aegean, following a similar announcement early last week,  reacting strongly to Greece’s deployment of Patriot missile systems on the southeast Aegean island of Karpathos and the presence of F-16 fighter jets on Lemnos, in the northeast.

Turkey’s defense ministry issued a statement expressing “serious concern,” describing the Greek military moves as a violation of international treaties governing the islands. According to Ankara, these actions breach internationals designating certain islands demilitarized, specifically referencing the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) for Lemnos and the Paris Peace Treaties (1947) for Karpathos, as part of the Dodecanese island complex.

The statement emphasizes that the islands were transferred to Greece on the explicit condition that they remain free of military installations. Turkey considers any unilateral attempt to change this status a fundamental legal violation that cannot terminate the demilitarized status.

Ankara also warned that Greece’s actions could harm relations with neighboring countries and NATO allies, particularly at a time of ongoing regional security crises. The ministry accused Greece of exploiting these tensions strategically and stated that Turkey is taking “all necessary measures” to address the situation.

Athens responded by noting that the Turkish statement has already been addressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recent days. Officials also highlighted that during the recent talks between the countries’ foreign ministry, Gerapetritis and Fidan, Karpathos and Cyprus were not discussed, signaling that Greece considers the matter settled diplomatically.

Athens reax

The Greek side pushed back sharply against Ankara on Thursday after “displeasure” expressed by official Turkey.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lana Zochiou called Turkey’s claims legally unfounded, saying that “unilateral claims about the demilitarization of the Aegean islands are baseless and have been repeatedly rejected in their entirety.”

“The status of the Greek islands of the Eastern Aegean is governed by the 1923 Peace Treaty of Lausanne, the 1936 Montreux Convention, and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty — to which, notably, Turkey is not even a signatory. These treaties leave no doubt about the status of the islands. Greece’s defensive disposition is non-negotiable. The state of war in our wider neighborhood makes the necessary defensive preparation of the country imperative. The prevailing uncertainty and the risk of further escalation of the war call for prudence and composure — not powerless posturing” Zochiou said.