Turkey is a ‘destabilising factor’ in Eastern Mediterranean, Greek top defence official

The Greek military’s chief of staff, General Konstantinos Floros, called Turkey a “destabilising factor” that poses a threat to Greece and the status quo of the Eastern Mediterranean, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported.

Speaking on Israel’s i24 News television channel on Thursday, Floros said that countries in the region should “cooperate in a framework of peace and security and to pursue the well-being of their citizens”, according to Kathimerini.

Turkey has played an increasingly active role in the Eastern Mediterranean, sometimes resulting in conflicts of interest and subsequent hostility with other nearby countries.

The Turkish armed forces have provided substantial military support to Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in a conflict against opposition forces led by General Khalifa Haftar, a foe backed by Egypt and several other countries.

Ankara and the GNA signed a maritime border agreement in November intended to legitimise Turkey’s claims to abundant offshore gas and oil reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean, much to the ire of Greece, Cyprus and other nations collaborating on a drilling project of their own off the Cypriot coast.

Turkey is also pursuing what it calls its Blue Homeland naval expansion doctrine, which lays claim to wide-ranging territorial waters in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Floros stressed that the Greek military was prepared to defend Greece’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights against any threat.