The Turkish Defense Minister expressed his satisfaction with the “historic period of development of relations with Greece” on Thursday Yasar Guler, but then he set the Turkish “red lines”, bringing back the “Blue Homeland” doctrine.

“We believe that we are going through a historic period of development of relations between us and Greece and that a solution-oriented approach and an honest and constructive relationship will benefit both countries,” he said characteristically, as transmitted by Manolis Kostidis.

Regarding the Confidence Building Measures, he commented that “we continue our efforts to maintain this positive atmosphere with Greece. Our aim is to solve our problems in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean in accordance with international law, good neighborly relations and the spirit of alliance. In our talks, the issues of reducing tension in the Aegean, maintaining dialogue channels and solving problems in the context of good neighborly relations came to the fore. In this context, our military activities in the Aegean were mutually reduced during the year and efforts were made to keep the tension in our region low.”

As two neighbors, the Turkish defense minister added, we have always expressed our determination to solve all problems between us through mutual dialogue, peaceful methods, respect for each other’s rights and in the spirit of alliance. We believe that we are going through a historic period of development in our relations with Greece and that a solution-oriented approach and an honest and constructive relationship will benefit both countries.

Stating that the MOU meeting held in Ankara on Monday was a good opportunity to further improve relations with Greece, Guler said: “Talks with the delegation, which had been suspended for more than two years, were resumed and consensus was reached at the meeting to continue these talks next year. The neighboring Greek people should be sure that Turkey is in favor of a peaceful and prosperous future with Greece.” He hastened to add, however, that “but I would like to emphasize that we will never compromise our national interests while striving for a peaceful solution. I would like to express very clearly that our determination to protect our rights and interests in our ‘Blue Homeland’ is absolute”.

Cyprus

As far as the Cypriot issue is concerned, Guler claimed that “the Greek Cypriot side it still only serves the non-solution with the military agreements they have made and the military aid they receive from third countries. It must now be known that the only and definitive solution on the island is the recognition of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people. It is one of the most important priorities of our country to resolve the Cyprus issue as soon as possible in a way that guarantees the legal interests and security of the Turkish Cypriot people.”

“We support the legitimate interests of our Cypriot brothers under any circumstances in this matter, which is our national issue, and we express once again that we will do our best for the peace, security and prosperity of the island in future, as we have done so far in the framework of the guarantee and alliance agreements” he noted.