Erdogan Warns Greece Days After Massive Israel Defense Deal

“Whoever reads Turkey’s calm and prudent approach as weakness is making a grave mistake,” Erdogan warned.

By United with Israel Staff

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece to reverse course on militarizing Aegean islands, days after Athens signed a landmark $3.5 billion air-defense agreement with Israel amid growing regional tensions.

Erdogan made the remarks while answering journalists’ questions on his return flight from Bishkek, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit hosted by Kyrgyzstan.

“Greece must turn back from this wrong path and stop arming the islands with demilitarized status,” Erdogan said. “History is a very good guide for those who learn lessons from it.”

“Turkey has no eyes on anyone’s land, but it will not allow anyone to trample on its rights,” he added, arguing that disregarding international agreements would benefit no one.

Asked how Turkey would respond, Erdogan said Ankara would “do what needs to be done.”

“Whoever reads Turkey’s calm and prudent approach as weakness is making a grave mistake,” he warned.

The comments come just days after Israel and Greece signed the €3 billion ($3.5 billion) “Achilles Shield” agreement, the largest defense deal ever between the two countries and one of the largest in Israel’s history.

Under the deal, Israel will build Greece a comprehensive multilayered air-defense network incorporating David’s Sling, SPYDER and BARAK MX systems, along with advanced radars and a national command-and-control network designed to defend against ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones.

The agreement represents a significant deepening of Israeli-Greek defense ties as both countries face increasingly tense relations with Turkey.

Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, have longstanding disputes over territorial waters, airspace and maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, while Israel and Ankara have increasingly clashed over Turkey’s regional ambitions, particularly in Syria.

Although Israeli and Greek officials did not name Turkey when announcing the deal, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the two countries share “common strategic interests” and face “shared regional challenges,” warning of actors with “hegemonic ambitions” seeking to expand their regional influence.