ANKARA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has played down the significance of Turkey’s long-standing casus belli against Greece, claiming that “almost no Turk” knows what the term means, while calling for renewed dialogue with Athens to resolve disputes in the Aegean.
Speaking at a press conference following the NATO Summit in Ankara, Erdoğan responded to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had described the casus belli as a “historical anomaly.”
“The overwhelming majority of my people do not even know what the issue of the casus belli is. If you ask them what it is, they would not know,” Erdoğan said.
“That is why I do not think we should burden our people with these issues. We are telling our Greek friends: let us not burden either Greek citizens or our own citizens with this. Let us sit down, talk and resolve these issues.”
The casus belli refers to the 1995 resolution by Turkey’s Grand National Assembly declaring that any extension of Greece’s territorial waters in the Aegean beyond six nautical miles would constitute grounds for war. Greece has repeatedly called for its withdrawal, arguing that it contradicts international law and undermines efforts to improve bilateral relations.
Erdoğan dismisses criticism over F-35s
The Turkish president also rejected criticism from Greece and Israel regarding Ankara’s efforts to acquire F-35 fighter jets from the United States.
“Greece’s and Israel’s objections to Turkey acquiring F-35 aircraft have no place in my world,” Erdoğan said.
He also took aim at Mitsotakis for echoing concerns raised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu is known for the kind of waters he operates in. Mitsotakis should not have made the mistake of following his statements.”
Erdoğan argued that Turkey has never questioned Greece’s own defence procurements.
“Have we ever asked Mr Mitsotakis about the defence equipment Greece has acquired? Why did you buy these? We never did. They are free to buy and sell as they wish.”
He added that Turkey is increasingly producing advanced defence systems domestically.
Calls for renewed dialogue
Despite the sharp remarks over defence issues, Erdoğan expressed optimism about restarting talks with Greece.
He said he shared Mitsotakis’ desire to resolve disputes in the Aegean through dialogue and suggested that discussions should begin at the foreign minister level before potentially advancing to direct talks between the two leaders.
“I also share the same view as Mitsotakis regarding the resolution of the issues in the Aegean. I hope that first our foreign ministers, and then, if necessary, we ourselves will sit down at the table and discuss this issue.”
“Resolving the issues concerning these waters is primarily the duty of the leaders.”
Erdoğan’s comments come after Mitsotakis reiterated at the NATO Summit that Turkey’s casus belli remains incompatible with good neighbourly relations and continues to cast a shadow over efforts to improve Greek-Turkish ties.## SEO
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Erdogan Downplays Casus Belli, Criticises Mitsotakis Over F-35 Remarks
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said most Turks do not know what the casus belli is, called for renewed talks with Greece, and criticised Kyriakos Mitsotakis over his comments on Turkey’s pursuit of F-35 fighter jets.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan downplayed Turkey’s casus belli against Greece, urged renewed Aegean talks with Kyriakos Mitsotakis and criticised Greek objections to Turkey’s pursuit of F-35 fighter jets.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece, Turkey, Casus Belli, Aegean Sea, NATO Summit, F-35, Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek Turkish relations, Turkish politics, defence, diplomacy, Ankara