Greece violates international agreements and arms the Aegean islands

Greece continues to defend its policy regarding arming the eastern Aegean islands, despite the violation of these measures to the provisions of the Lausanne and Paris agreements, which granted Athens sovereignty over the mentioned islands.

Greece does not deny, through the statements of its officials, the news related to arming the Aegean Islands, under the pretext that this measure is a right of self-defense.

Under the pretext that Turkey poses a “threat” to the islands, Greece intends to continue its armament policy despite these measures contravening the provisions of the Lausanne and Paris agreements.

Greek officials also reject calls by their Turkish counterparts to maintain the demilitarized status of the eastern Aegean islands, claiming that Turkey poses a “threat” against Greece.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panayotopoulos has said on several occasions that Turkey is a “threat” to his country, so the person under threat cannot be “disarmed.”

With these statements, the Greek minister admitted his opposition to the international agreements in which his country is a major party.

In his address to participants in a security conference held in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia last week, Panayotopoulos said that “Greece’s patience has reached its limits.”

He added, “It is strange that we have an ally who is discussing the disarmament of some of our islands and says that if they are not disarmed, they will be invaded. Does this mean that we will lose sovereignty over those islands?”

For his part, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias accused in January 2022 Turkey of deploying the largest amphibious force and the largest amphibious fleet in the Mediterranean off the eastern Aegean islands.

In response to Turkish demands regarding the disarmament of the Aegean islands in accordance with the provisions of the Lausanne and Paris agreements, Dendias stated that “Greece has the right to defend itself” and arm the islands.

Currently, Greek military forces are present on the islands of Smedrac (Samothraki), Meddali (Lesbos), Samos, Saqez (Chos), Ipsara (Psara) and Ikaria, which are supposed to be free of Any military forces in accordance with the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.

Greek forces are also present on the islands of “Ptams”, “Leros”, “Kalymnos”, “Istankoi” (Kos), “Ilki”, “Kerba” (Karpathos), “Sombeki” (Simi), “Rhodes” and “Mis”. (Castellorizo) demilitarized according to the Paris Agreement of 1947.

Despite Turkey’s objections to Greek actions that contradict the provisions of binding international agreements, Greece continues to violate the status of the Aegean islands by arming them since the 1960s.

Athens has also sought to prevent discussion of its measures to arm the Aegean islands at the International Court of Justice in tacit acknowledgment of its violations of obligations under international agreements.

In a letter sent to the United Nations in May 2021, Greece expressed its total rejection of Turkey’s demands to stop arming the islands.

In the letter, which does not contain clarifications regarding Greece’s arming of the Aegean Islands, Athens claimed that Turkey seeks to question the legitimacy of Greek sovereignty over the islands “based on unfounded proposals that contradict the basic principles of international law.”

In July 2021, Turkey submitted a complaint to the United Nations, in which it denounced the policies and practices of the Greek side that violate the status of the eastern Aegean islands.

“We would like to draw your attention once again to the fact that Greece is not fulfilling its obligations arising from the relevant agreements regarding the demilitarization of the islands of the Aegean and the Mediterranean,” Feridun Sinirlioglu, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations, said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Sinnerlioglu stressed in the letter that “the proximity of the aforementioned islands, including the island of Mays, to the Turkish mainland, and arming these islands poses a threat to Turkey’s security, according to what was stated in the Lausanne and Paris peace treaties.”

He pointed out that “Turkey has repeatedly referred, through diplomatic channels, to the violations committed by Greece on the islands.”

He added, “Athens’ failure to fulfill its obligations under international agreements necessarily means the absence of its ability to assert its sovereign rights arising from those agreements, including defining the areas of maritime jurisdictions.”