Diplomatic sources in Athens respond to Turkish FM’s comments over Greece, Cyprus and Gaza
Diplomatic sources in Athens on Tuesday were quick to respond to comments by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in which he warned Greece and Cyprus to “stay away” from matters related to the ongoing war in the Middle East, while further suggesting that any involvement would put them in the line of “fire.”
Slamming the Turkish official’s comments, which were made during an interview with broadcaster Haberturk on Monday, as “unacceptable,” the diplomatic sources said that Greece would not be dictated what its policy should be and has maintained a “principled stance” over developments in the Middle East and more specifically in Gaza.
“Greece, like all the member-states of the European Union, stands in solidarity with Cyprus,” the unnamed sources’ statement said, referring to the recent threats launched by the leader of Hezbollah against the Republic of Cyprus, warning Nicosia of retaliation if it gave Israel access to its bases and airports.
On that subject, Fidan claimed that Cyprus, which has acted as a humanitarian corridor getting international aid to Gaza, “has turned into an operation center, after October 7. Following the first operations launched by Israel, we saw intelligence reports saying that the ‘Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus’ has become a base used by certain countries, especially in operations against Gaza.”
Fidan also insinuated that Greece is involved in a similar manner, saying that “the Greek islands are used for operations towards the Middle East.”
“Our advice, we told the Greeks, is to stay away from these matters, because when you get involved in the ongoing wars in the Middle East in this way, when you become a party to it, the fire will come and find you, and we are in the same geography, so it will come and find us too,” said Fidan.
“Greece does not accept instructions on how to conduct its policy and safeguard its national interests,” the sources in Athens said on Tuesday in response.
“Throughout the Middle East crisis, Greece has maintained a principled stance, which has been appreciated by all the parties involved and, for this reason, it keeps all channels of communication open without having come into conflict with any country,” they added.
