Saturday, December 23, 2017

Turkish FM: We’ll Take Back Aegean Islands through Diplomacy or War



By Philip Chrysopoulos - Dec 20, 2017

Greek Reporter

Turkey will seek a diplomatic solution, go to the International Court or go to war to take back some Aegean islands, said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, while addressing the Turkish parliament.

Ant1 television correspondent to Turkey, Maria Zacharaki, said that there was a confrontation in Turkish parliament between the ruling party (AKP), and the main opposition regarding the issue of certain Greek islands in the Aegean, that Ankara claims belong to Turkey.

During his speech, Cavusoglu said that Turkey has three options: Try to work out a diplomatic solution with Greece, take the issue to the International Court, or send the Turkish army to claim said islands.

Referring to Imia, Cavusoglu said it is a national issue and that AKP is not responsible for what happened in 1996, because they were not the government then. The Turkish minister claimed that Imia was “occupied” by the Greeks, according to the report.

“We continue our diplomatic talks with Greece. If we do not agree, the parliament will decide on the alternatives and we will apply them. But this is a national policy. This is not an issue that will be discussed in the corridors. We established a team of military personnel at the Ministry of National Defense. We discussed the problem and the steps we can take. Is it more beneficial to reduce tension or increase it?” Cavusoglu said.

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