The Minister of Defense of Turkey, Yasar Güler, spoke of a "historic period of development of relations" between Turkey and Greece during the presentation of his ministry's budget for 2024 to the Turkish National Assembly. At the same time, he did not fail to mention Turkey's rights and interests in the "Blue Homeland".
According to the Turkish network NTV, which the Anadolu Agency cites, Güler said, "We continue our efforts to maintain this positive atmosphere with Greece. Our goal is to solve our problems in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean."
According to the Turkish Defense Minister, " a positive era has begun in relations with Greece " due to the visits and meetings held after the earthquakes in Turkey.
"Our military activities in the Aegean have been mutually reduced during the year, and efforts have been made to keep the tension in our region low," he noted.
"As two neighbours, we have always expressed our determination to resolve all problems between us through mutual dialogue, peaceful methods, respect for each other's rights and in the spirit of alliance. We believe that we are going through a historic period of development in our relations with Greece and that a solution-oriented approach and an honest and constructive relationship will benefit both countries," he added.
According to the Turkish defence minister, the meeting on Confidence Building Measures, held in Ankara on Monday, was a good opportunity to improve relations with Greece further.
“Talks between the delegations, which had been suspended for more than two years, resumed, and a consensus was reached at the meeting to continue these talks next year. The neighbouring Greek people should be sure that Turkey is in favour of a peaceful and prosperous future with Greece, but I would like to emphasise that we will never compromise our national interests while striving for a peaceful solution," the minister said, emphasising: "I would like to express very clearly that our determination to protect our rights and interests in our 'Blue Homeland' is absolute."
According to NTV, the Turkish Defence Minister also referred to the Cyprus issue, claiming that no results have been obtained from the solution methods that have been proposed so far "due to the intransigent attitude of the Greek Cypriots".
He reiterated the Turkish position that "the only and definitive solution on the island is the recognition of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people".
He concluded by saying: "We support the legitimate interests of our Cypriot brothers under any circumstances in this matter, which is our national issue, and we express once again that we will do our best for the peace, security and prosperity of the island in the future, as we have done so far."
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