The newspaper claims that Nikos Dendias has a personal political agenda and opposes what Turkey wants
The Turkish newspaper Milliyet launched an open attack against the Minister of Defence, Nikos Dendias, accusing him of a personal political agenda and lofty ambitions, which conflicted with the so-called Greek-Turkish "rapprochement."
Milliyet writes allegorically that the Greek minister pollutes the "clean water for the normalisation of Turkish-Greek relations."
According to an article by Milliyet, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, who will visit Turkey in May, support this process and do not allow the water to be poisoned, "Nikos Dendias, the current Minister of National Defence, who spent his term as Foreign Minister hostile to Turkey to realise his dream of becoming Prime Minister of Greece, is trying to pollute this water."
Then, the Turkish article signed by the newspaper's managing director, Özay Şendir, claims that "Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, a smart man, removed Dendias from the Foreign Ministry because he understood that he was working for his own political goals and not for Greece, and transferred him to the Ministry of Defence, where he would not have much leeway."
However, always according to the Turkish article, "but Dendias does not stop. He continued to work and speak against the process from the first day of the Athens-Ankara rapprochement."
Milliyet claims that Nikos Dendias is behind the exercise on one of the islands that Turkey said should be demilitarised. Turkey responded to this exercise with NOTAM in the air and NAVTEX at sea.
After Dendias, Ilhan Ahmet
"The rapprochement process means trying to solve problems through talks, and until then, countries keep their positions. Dendias initially allowed the exercise, knowing it would cause trouble, and when Ankara reacted, he started shouting, 'You can't be friends with the Turks,'" the article claims, adding that taking the matter even further and implicating his Muslim MP as well as PASOK.
"The political ambition and purpose of Dendias are clear. I am not surprised by his action, but I am surprised by PASOK MP Ilhan Ahmet, who supports him," he said.
"Ilhan is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of the University of Istanbul. They must be among the people who know best that Turkey has no interest in Greek territory. Recently, he has done things like targeting the Turkish Consulate General in Komotini(…). Last week, I received e-mails complaining about this person for saying yes to gay marriage, but I ignored it. After all, as an MP of Greece, he can make any decision he wants and with whatever he feels comfortable with, and no one can interfere."
According to the Turkish newspaper, Ilhan Ahmet's support for Nikos is an inevitable result of his being questioned in Turkey.
"There are many who do not believe in the process, both here and in Athens. Not believing in the process is one thing; trying to undermine the process for personal gain is another. The words of people like Dendias and Ilhan Ahmet will continue to be the last straw in our efforts to speak for peace and protect and increase clean water. After all, history will write everyone as they deserve," Milliyet's article concluded.
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