Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivered a clear message of deterrence to Turkey during joint statements with European Council President-elect António Costa who was on an official visit to Athens.
Mitsotakis made it unequivocally clear that Greece will not tolerate any interference or unsolicited advice regarding its sovereign rights and military preparedness, emphasizing: “Greece threatens no one, but we will accept no instructions from anyone on how to bolster our defense capabilities.”
European Security and Regional Stability
During their meeting, the Prime Minister stressed that safeguarding Greece’s borders directly ensures the security of the European Union’s external borders. The discussions focused heavily on European strategic autonomy, funding for common EU defense initiatives, and broader developments across the Eastern Mediterranean. Mitsotakis highlighted Greece’s role as a dependable anchor of stability in the region, noting that genuine good-neighborly relations can only be built upon mutual respect for international law rather than unilateral revisionist ambitions.
For his part, António Costa reaffirmed the critical need for European solidarity in the face of evolving geopolitical challenges, acknowledging Greece’s vital contribution to securing the EU’s borders.
Athens Files Formal Demarche Over Marine Parks and Spatial Planning
The Prime Minister’s remarks followed diplomatic tension earlier in the day, when the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a formal demarche with Turkish authorities. The protest was triggered by Ankara’s objections to Greece’s environmental initiatives, specifically the establishment of designated marine protected parks and related maritime spatial planning frameworks.
Greek diplomatic sources dismissed Turkey’s claims as entirely baseless, stressing that: “Sovereignty in the Aegean has been clearly and definitively established by the relevant international treaties.”
Athens further underscored that environmental protection and spatial planning programs within Greek jurisdiction represent a non-negotiable sovereign prerogative, reaffirming its commitment to keep European and international partners fully briefed on any unilateral attempts to challenge international law.
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