Hagia Sophia is brought back to the center of escalating challenges on the part of Turkey by Tayyip Erdogan.
"We restored Hagia Sophia to its original identity after 84 years and closed the wound that opened in the heart of the conquest, thank God. "Hagia Sophia has once again taken its place in our culture as the rising flag in the heart of Istanbul," the Turkish president said, speaking to his party's parliamentary group.
Hagia Sophia is one of the fields that has been at the core of the escalating challenges posed by Turkey in recent days.
It is recalled that on Sunday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense in a series of posts addressed the issue, accusing Athens of "expansionist aspirations", on the occasion of a post by Nikos Dendias on the anniversary of the Fall in Istanbul.
"The fact that those who supposedly mourned for Hagia Sophia did not oppose the demolition of the mosques in Greece dating back to 1500, each of which is a cultural heritage, and turned into cinemas, exhibition spaces, accommodation and warehouses, is very serious for to be explained even with hypocrisy "said the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
"The Greek administration, which does not even give burial ground to Muslims when they die, is trying to deceive its own people with crude illusions and to cover up its dead-end realities. "The sun is not covered with mud," the Turkish Defense Ministry added.
Tsavousoglou's persistence for 16 islands
Ankara raised the tone in Greek-Turkish again yesterday, Tuesday, as Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu showed maps and revealed the islands that Turkey plans to challenge their sovereignty. The Turkish Foreign Minister demanded the withdrawal of Greek troops from 16 islands, from Samothrace to Kastellorizo.
In an interview with the state agency "Anatoli" he stressed that "it is impossible to consider these islands apart from the security of the Dardanelles and Istanbul". Mr. Tsavousoglou, after referring to the two letters that Turkey has sent to the UN regarding the status of the Greek islands, stated that "these islands have been granted to Greece by the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, with the Treaty of Paris of 1947. Both Treaties have a condition: Greece will not militarize these islands. He will not place weapons. Greece has changed the status of these islands. Therefore, Greece must withdraw its weapons from these islands. "Otherwise, the debate over sovereignty begins." Then Mr. Tsavousoglou noted that "Greece is the one that pursued an expansionist policy. It degrades the issue of the status of the islands, it violates it. It is clear in international law. The agreements are quite clear. Therefore, we say that if Greece does not back down from these violations, we will question the sovereignty of the islands. "It's very clear in our letter."
Mr. Tsavousoglu announced that with the decision of Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara terminates the process of the Supreme Cooperation Council between Greece and Turkey and stressed that this decision was taken because Athens is trying to prevent the supply of various weapons systems, which it wants to buy. Turkey. "That is, we will say high-level cooperation and on the other hand lies and slander against Turkey on every platform and for products that Turkey wants to buy. We have never done such a thing until today. You are going to push in Congress or somewhere else against it (Turkey). Now, how will this be done? " wondered the Turkish Foreign Minister.
Update Solts, supported by Macron
Kyriakos Mitsotakis showed a map of the "Blue Homeland" to the German Chancellor Olaf Solts, during their morning meeting yesterday on the sidelines of the EU Summit. The Prime Minister, according to government sources, briefed Mr. Soltz in detail on the violations of Greek airspace by Turkey and the aggressive rhetoric of Ankara. The two leaders also discussed support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion and the energy crisis.
Emanuel Macron, meanwhile, made a strong statement about Greek-Turkish leaving the summit. "The Greek Prime Minister has vigorously expressed Greece's concerns - its legitimate concerns - and condemned the statements of some Turkish officials, who question the sovereignty of Greece on many of its islands. I want to express the support of all Europeans, especially France. No one can question the sovereignty of any Member State today. "These statements must be condemned as soon as possible, and that is exactly what I am doing here in front of you."
Mitsotakis: Any attempt to violate sovereignty will be punished
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a second stern message to Turkey, speaking at the European People's Party (EPP) congress in Rotterdam, which he attended directly from Brussels. During the debate on "United in Solidarity: Defending Western Democracy" at the 27th Congress of the European People's Party, referring to the Turkish provocation, the Prime Minister stressed that "any attempt to violate our national sovereignty will be severely punished."
Essentially responding to the provocative statements made by Tayyip Erdogan at the fiesta for the Fall of Istanbul, Mr. Mitsotakis said that our country will not tolerate "any new version of historical revision, based on the fantasies of lost empires", to add: "An attempt to violate sovereignty will be severely punished." Elsewhere in his speech, referring to Ukraine, but also photographing Turkey, he used the phrase that "whoever thinks that the borders are being redrawn with force" will then receive a "sweeping response".
kathimerini.gr