Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos emphasized that his country has the right to take all defensive measures to protect its islands located in the Far East against the backdrop of threats from neighboring Turkey, pointing out that Turkey’s reactionary and destabilizing behavior also undermines security in the eastern region. wide Mediterranean.

In an interview on the occasion of Cyprus Independence Day, he stated: “His rejection of Turkey’s demands to disarm the islands, as if they were not in danger, as if we had no right to take all defensive measures in her favor”, calling Ankara’s demands “unreasonable and unacceptable” .

Earlier this week, Turkish authorities summoned the Greek ambassador to protest the “deployment” of dozens of US-made armored vehicles on the Aegean islands of Samos and Lesvos, which Ankara said should remain demilitarized in accordance with international treaties.

Amid these tensions between Ankara and Athens, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that his country “will not back down from defending its rights and interests against Greece,” which is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Turkey.