Devlet Bahceli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political ally, questioned again Greece’s sovereignty over the islands of the southeastern Aegean, challenging the provisions of international laws and agreements like the 1923 Lausanne Treaty.
“We cannot think of the Dodecanese without Turkey. The armament within a plan constitutes a challenge for Turkey and drags the Aegean into a vortex of tensions. The Dodecanese have been usurped and taken with foot games. For Turkey to live without the Dodecanese is a dream. Following an aggressive policy on the opposite shore of the Aegean does not benefit any country. Turkey will never abandon the Blue Homeland.
We cannot think of the Dodecanese without Turkey. A plan for armament constitutes a challenge for Turkey and drags the Aegean into a vortex of tensions,” he said in a meeting of his party’s parliamentary group.
He also claimed that the Dodecanese “have been usurped and taken” from Turkey. “Following an aggressive policy on the opposite shore of the Aegean does not benefit any country. Turkey will never abandon the Blue Homeland.” Bahceli also warned Athens to “watch its steps.”
“The consequences of Greece’s actions will be severe. There are no permanent friendships or enmities between states.”