New Turkish challenges. As reported by SKAI’s correspondent in Istanbul, Manolis Kostidis, neighboring politicians and media described Pserimos, Kinaros and Levitha as “Turkish islands”, bringing back to the news the visit of the Greek Minister of Defense to our islands in September. “Dendias violated the Treaty of Lausanne” they claimed.

“When we were dealing with the students in our military schools, the defense minister of Greece made some visits to islands and violated the Treaty of Lausanne. He toured with helicopters to islands such as Pserimos, Kinaro and Levitha, there he posed with the Greek soldiers, made some statements. And he had done this next to Turkey. In other words, we had a border violation by the Greek minister and the Ministry of Defense remains silent. On September 26, 2024, the Greek Minister of Defense Nikos Dἐndias took with him the Chief of the Armed Forces and the Chief of the Army and toured the islands located within Turkish territorial waters. And he posed with the soldiers who settled on the islands in violation of the Treaty of Lausanne. The opposition talks about the silence of the Ministry of Defense” said the report of the television network NOW TV.

“Dendias visited the Turkish islands that are “under occupation” and these are Pserimos, Kinaros and Levitha and also violated the Turkish airspace,” adds the report.

“The Greek minister is coming into our airspace, flying over the islands and making a show of force,” argued the member of the main opposition, the Kemalist Republican People’s Party, Aylem Ertugrul.