"The status of the Dodecanese Islands is governed by an international treaty, the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947," the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday, commenting on statements by Devlet Bahçeli, Nationalist Movement Party leader and government partner of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"As a sovereign state, Greece does not waive its natural and legal right to defense, as foreseen by article 51 of the United Nations Charter," the Foreign Ministry statement noted, adding, "More so, when it is being threatened by war (casus belli) if it exercises the right emanating from its sovereignty, as foreseen by International Law."
"Maintaining peace requires prudence and a sense of responsibility, not hostile statements. Issues of sovereignty are not subject to discussion and revisionist views must be universally rejected," the statement concluded.
Bahçeli
The Greek Foreign Ministry's response and statement was caused by statements of the party leader and government partner of Erdogan, Devlet Bahçeli, who claimed while speaking at his party's parliamentary group that "the Dodecanese were stolen through tricks from their true owner, the Turkish nation." He further said that "even if Türkiye can live without the Dodecanese, having the Dodecanese live without Türkiye is clearly unreal," and added that "Türkiye will never waive its sovereign rights in the Blue Homeland."