Turkish minister sees ‘historic period’ with Greece
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler expressed his satisfaction with Greek-Turkish contacts, while at the same time insisting that Ankara will “protect its rights and interests” within the context of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine which envisages Turkish influence over large swaths of the Eastern Mediterranean.
In his speech to the Turkish parliament’s committee on the Defense Ministry’s 2024 budget, Guler said, “We believe that we are going through a historic period of developing relations between us and Greece and that a solution-oriented approach and a sincere and constructive relationship will benefit both countries.”
“We continue our efforts to maintain this positive atmosphere with Greece. Our goal is to solve our problems in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean in accordance with international law, good-neighborly relations and the spirit of alliance,” he added.
Guler noted that in talks with Greece, the issues of reducing tension in the Aegean, maintaining channels of dialogue and resolving problems in the framework of good-neighborly relations came to the fore.
“In this context, our military activities in the Aegean were mutually reduced during the year and efforts were made to keep tension in our region low,” he stressed.
