A few days after the meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, and with the Turkish and Greek press talking about a new chapter of relations, Ömer Çelik maintained his aggressive rhetoric.
According to SKAI correspondent Manolis Kostidis, the spokesperson of the ruling party Justice and Development Party (AKP) emphasised that it is not possible to enter into discussions when the demilitarisation of the islands has not been done, which is an issue that locks other existing issues.
"Turkish minority in Thrace"
Specifically, Çelik said: "Governments are meeting. We must deal with the issue with Greece without tension. When you militarise the islands, there is nothing to do."
"The issue of the militarisation of the islands creates a very high tension that locks other issues as well. There may be some difference for a region to do this or the other," he added.
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Çelik also speaks of a "Turkish minority in Thrace", referred to the NATO base in Alexandroupoli and says that "the Greek Coast Guard is drilling boats and killing migrants in the Aegean". As he stated, "if these things continue on the part of Greece, something else will happen and not an agreement."
Çelik continues his threats
"We are constantly discussing the protection of the rights and interests of the 'Turkish minority' in 'Western Thrace' and the respect of their rights. There is a will to keep the issues in a specific context," the spokesperson said.
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"But if you add weapons to the issue or build a base in Alexandroupoli which is under our noses, if you continue to drill inflatables in the Mediterranean to kill people or if you militarise the islands, then something else will happen," he said.
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