Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis drew a hard line on Thursday, telling Skai that Greece will continue blockin...

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis drew a hard line on Thursday, telling Skai that Greece will continue blocking Turkey from participating in European defense programs for as long as Ankara's casus belli against Greece remains on the table. The casus belli threat, which Turkey's parliament passed in 1995, declares that any Greek extension of its territorial waters in the Aegean to 12 nautical miles would be considered an act of war. Gerapetritis made clear that this threat is a direct obstacle to any deeper Turkey-EU defense cooperation, and that Athens will use every tool available within European institutions to enforce that position. The statement comes as the EU has been expanding its joint defense spending frameworks under pressure from the changed security environment on the continent. Turkey, a NATO member but not an EU member, has been seeking access to some of these programs. Greece has long pushed back on that, and Gerapetritis now confirmed that position is not softening. This is one of the sharpest public statements from Athens on this specific leverage point in recent months. The foreign minister's choice to make the condition explicit, casus belli stays, EU defense access stays blocked, signals that Greece intends to keep that card firmly in play during any ongoing EU-Turkey talks. The broader context is significant. Turkey has been simultaneously pushing for European defense cooperation while maintaining military pressure on Greece and Cyprus in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. Gerapetritis appears to be sending a message that those two tracks cannot run in parallel. #Greece #Turkey #EUDefense