Greece and Turkey clashed over the multi-billion-euro EU defense program SAFE over the weekend, as Ankara accused Athens of undermining European security.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issued a strong rebuke of Athens for opposing Turkey’s request to join the new EU funding mechanism that would allow the bloc to raise up to €150 billion in capital market loans by the end of the decade.
Greece has sent a clear message, on several occasions, that countries that threaten EU member states are barred from taking part in the program. Greek PM, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has stated that Turkey cannot join SAFE unless it drops its threat of war if Greece were to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean and its theory of the “gray zones,” based on which Ankara disputes Greek sovereignty over islands and islets in the Aegean.
EU examines Turkey’s request to join SAFE
The initiative is intended to support collective investments in weapons systems, ammunition, drones, air defense systems, and shared security infrastructure.
“Greek politics feeds on an anti-Turkish stance. Whenever there is a domestic mistake, they immediately bring up Turkey,” Fidan said. “Regarding the SAFE program, the fact that the Greek prime minister boasts in the Greek parliament that he will prevent Turkey from joining, just to protect himself, is something that must be treated with caution.”
The European Commission confirmed it had received Turkey’s application to join the SAFE program and that the request is under review.
Germany is also pressuring Athens to drop its opposition to Turkey’s participation ahead of the November 30 submission deadline.
Fidan said Turkey had made its concerns known to its European counterparts. “The European security system has been hijacked by countries like Greece. These countries are not truly concerned with Europe’s security,” he said.
Greece reacts to Turkey’s claims on the SAFE program
“Greece pursues an active and consistent foreign policy grounded in the universal values of international law and determined independently of others,” Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis stated on Sunday.
Gerapetritis warned that “ our country will not deviate from these core principles, and those put out by this must accept it, as admonitions and reproaches are not acceptable.”
He concluded by emphasizing: “ Greece genuinely seeks peace and good-neighborly relations, yet when it comes to issues of national interest, there can be no discussion.”
