Turkey is reported to have sent a formal letter of protest to the European Union, NATO, and the United States regarding the deployment of Patriot missile systems on the Greek island of Karpathos. The move comes amid a renewed wave of tensions between Athens and Ankara.

The Turkish daily Milliyet, which disclosed the contents of the letter, described Ankara’s action as a “counterattack” against Greece. According to the report, Turkey accuses Athens of attempting to create faits accompli in the Aegean with the support of its Western allies.

Sources indicate that the letter was sent last week to the three organizations, arguing that Greece’s actions represent an effort to reshape the bilateral relationship and establish new realities on the ground.
Turkish media portray the diplomatic démarche as part of a broader pushback against Athens, framing it as a kind of “counter attack” in the ongoing dispute over military deployments on Greek islands.

Greek officials have so far defended the deployment as part of standard defensive cooperation with allied partners, noting that Athens has repeatedly emphasized its right to strengthen air defense capabilities amid heightened regional instability.

The incident comes amid an already fraught period in Greek Turkish relations, with Ankara previously decrying the Karpathos deployment as “illegal” and arguing that treaties governing the status of certain Aegean islands should limit military installations.

Photo: Eurokinissi