Akar

Türkiye has warned Greece once again that it will never accept extending its territorial waters to more than 6 miles in the Aegean Sea amid reports that Athens is beginning to mull over increasing its sovereign waters to up to 12 miles off Crete island in the region.

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.

Ties in the field of defense and security between Türkiye and Israel have entered a new era as the latter's defense minister paid a rare visit to Ankara amid ongoing normalization efforts between the two Mediterranean states after years of tension.