The Turkish Foreign Minister brings back the issue of the Aegean islands Hakan Fidan in an interview: “There are pressing issues such as the status of the Aegean islands, demilitarization and airspace,” he said and added: “My counterpart and I are looking for ways to discuss the problem from a new perspective.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister said: “After the victory of our president in the elections, a decision was made with Mr. Mitsotakis to move our relations forward with a positive agenda. There are problems in the Aegean which come from the past. Everything is not of our generation, we received these. How can we, as a responsible generation, manage? As mature states, let’s put these problems in parentheses and see which issues we can move forward on. We saw this as a method.

» On the other hand, there are issues between us that take time. Mainly the status of the Aegean islands, demilitarization and airspace, here we are looking to discuss the problem with a new perspective. We have this effort, this is what my counterpart and I often talk about. There is an agreement by both sides to reduce military tension.

» Cyprus is a big issue, we try not to let this issue reflect the relations between us and we look at the issues of the Aegean and the situation of our expatriates.

Fidan: We have to see how the balance changes with the granting of F-35s to Greece after 2030

“We are developing anti-aircraft systems. If they put conditions on us for the F-35s, we will continue to look for alternatives,” Fidan said.

Fidan said: “The issue of granting F-35s to Greece, as you know because Greece is a member of NATO was already among the countries that were on the list of granting F-35s. Delivery of. F-35 in Greece after 2030. We have to watch what can happen until then, how the balances will change But we have to see how we will develop our capabilities in air defense systems and our capabilities in fighters. Here now there is the development of the Hisar anti-aircraft system. The ground-based anti-aircraft system. Because until today our anti-aircraft defense was the F-16s, that is, in an attack the answer was the F-16s”.

Reporter’s Question: What is your take on our return to the F-35 program?

Fidan: “This is a matter that our experts and military should talk about. However this is a possibility, and if we will not lose our other possibilities and if it will be an additional possibility of course why not happen? It will be something we will want to own. But if there are conditions to part with other possibilities and to adapt to other policies and if the conditions are compatible then we will continue to look for alternative solutions”.