Statement By The Spokesman Of The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs In Response To Questions On the Militarization of the Eastern Aegean Islands July 9, 1998 The Statement Of Mr. Sermet Atacanlı, The Deputy Spokesman Of The Foreign Ministry In Response To a Question July 13,1998 A Strategy For Developing Relations Between Turkey And The European Union Proposals of Turkey July 17, 1998 Preface Written By;Mr. Ismail Cem For The Book "Turkey and The World " Presented To The Press July 23, 1998 Press Statement on Turkey’s Response To The EU’s European Strategy For Turkey July 23, 1998 The Statement Issued By The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs On The Judgment Given By The European Court Of Human Rights 30 July, 1998
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Statement By The Spokesman Of The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs In Response To Questions On the Militarization of the Eastern Aegean Islands July 9, 1998

Question: Turkey has recently presented a Verbal Note to Greece and protested the militarization of the Eastern Aegean Islands. However, in his press statement of 7 July 1998, the Greek Government Spokesman, Mr. Reppas, alleged that Greece could militarize the Dodacanese Islands. May I have your opinion on this subject?

Answer: It is a well-known fact that the Eastern Aegean Islands, and particularly the Dodacanese, have been militarized by Greece contrary to international law and provisions of the relevant treaties since 1960's. Since then, Turkey has warned Greece several times and reminded her to respect her contractual obligations stemming from Lausanne and Paris Peace Treaties of 1923 and 1947. However, at first Greece had denied her illegal acts of militarizing these islands, but later she continued to militarize the Eastern Aegean Islands with baseless pretexts such as the Turkish Peace Operation in Cyprus and the establihment of the Aegean Army.

Above all, this attitude of Greece clearly proves that this country shows no respect for international law and international treaties and particularly the Lausanne and Paris Peace Treaties which established a delicate balance between Turkey and Greece in the Aegean.

In these international treaties, the Eastern Aegean Islands were ceded to Greece on the explicit condition that they would be demilitarized due to their overriding importance for Turkey's security interests and the terms of demilitarization were specified in detail.

It is a fact that Greece does not abide by the provisions of these treaties which means that international law and treaties are violated. International treaties should not be violated through arbitrary arguments and interpretations. While Greece advocates the rule of international law and accepts the principle of respect for international treaties as she confirmed with the Madrid Declaration, she displays a double-standart, since she persistently violates her contractual obligations which is an unacceptable attitude.

For the settlement of this issue which is one among the Aegean problems, Turkey expects Greece to respect the demilitarized status of the Eastern Aegean Islands and international law.