Hulusi Akar

A fresh incident unfolded in the Aegean on Thursday morning with the harassment of a Greek coast guard vessel by a Turkish patrol boat, with Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar presenting his version of events, claiming the Greek side "harassed and shot at our fishermen."

Turkey will not leave unanswered acts of "harassment" and "provocation" by Greece, the country's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Friday, a day after a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat was harassed by a Turkish offshore vessel. 

"We neither harass nor provoke [Greece]. But we will not leave unanswered any harassment or provocation against us," Akar said.

Greece is not responding to Türkiye's calls for dialogue and intentionally increases tension in the Aegean Sea due to looming elections, the Turkish defense minister has said, repeating Ankara's proposal for the resumption of military-to-military talks.

The death of the mother of Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos opened a new channel of communication between Türkiye and Greece amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

Turkey's AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said Monday that the government is mulling bringing elections "slightly" forward (the country's parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled to be held on June 18), a decision which could have implications for Greece.

Türkiye and Russia will resume joint patrols in northern Syria in line with a recent deal between the two countries, the Turkish defense minister has said, expressing Ankara's intention to continue a process started by Ankara, Moscow and Damascus for resolving terror and migration problems.

Keeping tensions high with Athens, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reiterated on Monday that Ankara will "not accept any extension" by Greece of its islands' territorial waters.

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Monday accused Greece of undermining talks on confidence-building measures (CBM) between the two Aegean rivals, adding that his country wants to defuse tensions through dialogue.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Jan. 2 accused Greece of trying to increase tension in the Aegean with provocative actions and rhetoric due to domestic political considerations.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said that his visit to Ankara and talks with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar have opened the doors for cooperation between Türkiye and Israel, as he was about to depart from Türkiye.