Μake us preferred on Google Turkey is closely monitoring Greek activities that it claims affect its rights and interests, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said, after local media reported that Greece was considering strengthening air defenses on Aegean islands near the Turkish coast with Israeli weapons systems.
In a written response to Turkish lawmakers dated Aug. 10 and released on Friday, Guler said Ankara was monitoring “all activities of Greece that violate the rights and interests of Turkey and are contrary to international law,” adding that Turkey was taking the necessary measures without elaborating.
Guler also pointed to growing military cooperation between Greece and Israel – something particularly irksome for Ankara – saying Turkey was closely following the two countries’ military activities amid what he described as a “multipolar security environment” marked by increased global and regional uncertainty.
His comments followed a report in the newspaper Türkiye claiming that the issue of strengthening air defenses on various Aegean islands had been raised in Turkey’s grand assembly. The report alleged that Israel-made systems could be deployed on islands close to the Turkish mainland (Asia Minor), although the reported plans have not been publicly confirmed by Athens.
The latest Turkish reaction comes amid a broader promotion of Ankara’s often belligerent and reactionary rhetoric toward widening Greek-Israeli defense cooperation.
Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the Greece-Cyprus-Israel trilateral partnership as a grouping that Ankara views as directed against Turkey and Egypt. Fidan made the comments during a visit to Egypt, where he sought to promote a rival regional alignment involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The dispute also follows Greece’s ongoing effort to develop a multilayered national air defense system, known as the “Achilles Shield,” with Israeli technology playing a significant role. The program was approved by Greece’s Government Council for National Security (KYSEA) in July as part of a broader defense package worth more than four billion euros.
The Achilles Shield is intended to provide a multilayered defense architecture extending across air, sea, land, cyber and space domains. Earlier reporting also linked the program to Israeli systems including David’s Sling, Spyder and Barak MX, although the precise configuration and deployment of systems on individual Aegean islands has not been publicly established.
Ankara has repeatedly objected to what it describes as the militarization of Greek islands. In May, Güler warned from the Greek-Turkish border that Turkey would not accept “fait accompli” in the Aegean, eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus, while saying activities aimed at arming islands with demilitarized status were incompatible with good-neighborly relations, the alliance framework and international law.
A US-made Patriot anti-aircraft battery.
Greece has shot back in no uncertain terms that every inch of Greek territory will be protected from threats to its sovereignty.
The latest statement therefore represents a continuation of a series of recent Turkish objections to Greek defense planning and the expanding strategic relationship between Greece and Israel, rather than an announcement of a new Turkish military measure.
