Greek Prime Minister Warns Turkey Over Maritime Claims, Cites Strong Ties With Israel

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece will not negotiate over what it considers its sovereign rights, amid rising tensions with Turkey. In an interview on Saturday with former U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster, he emphasized Athens’ alliance with Israel and other regional partnerships, and declared, “We have red lines.”

Mitsotakis said Greek-Turkish relations have always been complicated because the two countries must live side by side due to geography, but he stressed that Greece’s sovereignty and sovereign rights are grounded in international law and international agreements and cannot be challenged. He said the core dispute concerns maritime boundaries in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean.

“If Turkey has additional claims, we do not recognize them. They are completely without basis,” he said, adding that “no Greek prime minister will be willing to take part in a discussion or negotiations about them.” He also pointed to Greece’s alliance network, including a mutual assistance clause in the European Union, a “very strong partnership” with Israel, and strong ties with Gulf states.

Mitsotakis said there has been some easing in tensions in recent years, but recent statements and actions have again raised the temperature. He added that Greece will keep strengthening its armed forces, saying, “I am not naive. We will continue to strengthen our armed forces. We need strong deterrence capability, qualitative superiority and strong alliances.”