Sovereignty of N Aegean islands should be under Türkiye: MHP leader

ANKARA

The sovereignty, property rights and maritime jurisdiction areas of the northern Aegean islands should be legally under Türkiye, because Greece armed these islands, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Develt Bahçeli said on Oct. 4.

“Greece is agitated by the U.S. and challenges Türkiye in the northern Aegean islands,” Bahçeli said addressing the MHP members in parliament.

Greece’s claims of sovereignty over the northern Aegean islands and 12 islands are “absolutely unjust and unlawful,” he said claiming that in fact, only the right of use remained in Greece, not the ownership of these islands, according to the international treaties.

These treaties stipulated that Greece could not use the islands for military purposes, but Athens “deliberately violated this provision,” he added.

“All nine Turkish Islands, which were given to the use of Greece in the North Aegean Sea to remain without soldiers and weapons, were deployed with soldiers and weapons,” Bahçeli said.

“Therefore, the sovereignty, property rights, maritime jurisdiction areas and airspace of the Northern Aegean islands of Thasos, Samothrace, Limnos, Bozbaba, Lesbos, Ipsara, Chios, Samos and Ahikeria are now legally in Türkiye,” Bahçeli stated.

“I declare to the world, we will not give up our rights,” he said.

Türkiye has long been slamming Greece for violating the 1923 Lausanne and 1947 Paris treaties that prohibit Greece from deploying weapons on certain islands with close proximity to the Turkish mainland.

Tensions escalated between Ankara and Athens recently after Ankara’s accusations of Greece sending military vehicles to the Aegean islands.

Ankara has sent several letters to the United Nations indicating that Greece violates international law by arming the islands with de-militarized status in the Aegean Sea.