Türkiye says German spokesperson’s ‘baseless’ allegations ‘unacceptable’

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye on Thursday reacted to the “unfortunate” remarks made by a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson regarding Greece's unlawful claims on the disputed issues between Athens and Ankara.

During a press conference on Wednesday, German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christian Wagner said that recent statements by the Turkish government “do not help the constructive dialogue and stability in the region,” while “the aggressive rhetoric especially, as well as Turkish violations of the Greek airspace, give cause for concern.”

Responding to the remarks, Tanju Bilgic, the spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, said in a statement that the “baseless allegations” by the German spokesperson is “unacceptable,” adding that it is Greece that violated Turkish airspace and made flights over its mainland.

"We would like to remind the German spokesperson that despite the invitations to the bilateral and NATO Confidence-Building Measures meetings, it is not Türkiye that has not responded for a year and has announced that it has frozen these meetings using the latest tension in the Aegean as an excuse,” he said.

The ministry called on Germany, which claims to make efforts for dialogue and de-escalation, “not to take sides in the disputes between the two allies, not to be an instrument to the lawlessness of other countries, and not to make biased comments on the areas and issues in which it has no authority and responsibility.”

Türkiye in recent months has stepped up criticism of Greece stationing troops on islands in the eastern Aegean, near the Turkish coast and in many cases visible from shore.

These islands were required to be demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris, so any troops or weapons on the islands are strictly forbidden.