The turbulence in the once-calm waters between Greece and Turkey brought the Greek Prime Minister to the southeasternmost tip of the country, delivering a clear and firm message to its neighbor — at a time when Ankara is once again pushing its positions on the demilitarization of the Dodecanese, as well as its claimed rights to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.
“The Greek Prime Minister and the Greek government are always present — especially on the islands of the Eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese — to demonstrate in practice that Greece stands by those living on its frontiers. Greece will never relinquish any of its rights,” said Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis on SKAI television, on the eve of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to the island.
Mitsotakis’ message to Turkey from Kastellorizo: “We are ready to defend our national sovereignty and sovereign rights”
After attending yesterday’s commemorative events marking the 83rd anniversary of the liberation of Kastellorizo — from what he called “this Greek and European bastion” — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed Turkey directly, emphasizing that Greece “seeks friendly relations, free of tensions and provocations, with steadfast adherence to International Law and the Law of the Sea.”
He continued: “I must stress, however, that our prudence should not be mistaken for weakness. You know this better than anyone, living day after day so close to a country that geography itself has determined we must coexist with. We do not threaten anyone, but we do not accept threats or directives from anyone. We are ready to defend our national integrity and our sovereign rights — with dialogue, I will say again, remaining a choice rooted in confidence and faith in International Law.”
According to reliable sources, despite the recent tensions, the high-level communication channel between Athens and Ankara remains open and fully operational. Both sides have signaled that, despite the heated public rhetoric, the core of the so-called “calm waters” policy remains intact. While an escalation in language may be observed, no practical escalation is expected to follow.
The first major test will come in the months ahead, when the Greek government aims to move forward with the Greece–Cyprus–Israel electricity interconnection project — known as the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) — one of the most ambitious underwater power transmission projects in the world. Last Wednesday’s meeting between Prime Minister Mitsotakis and French President Macron in Paris politically sealed an agreement signed a month ago, under which the French investment group Meridiam will enter as a majority shareholder in the company set to develop the interconnection project. The meeting also cemented a trilateral agreement between IPTO (ADMIE), GSI, and Nexans covering seabed survey operations required for the project’s implementation.
At the same time, the Prime Minister chose to publicly address for the first time an issue that has been debated over the past week — namely, the source code of the “Achilles’ Shield” missile defense system. Writing in his regular Sunday Facebook post, Mitsotakis stated that the Greek air defense dome “will take the country’s air defense to a whole new level,” and added that, for those “who are concerned,” the central command and control software will be Greek, developed by the Greek companies participating in the program, which — as agreed — will receive the operational and technological support needed to develop a Greek source code tailored to Greece’s specific operational requirements.
Finally, it is worth noting that the Prime Minister’s two-day visit to Kastellorizo delivered two significant announcements for the island’s residents and public sector workers. As Mitsotakis announced, the government will introduce a permanent annual salary incentive of €5,000 for all civil servants, security forces personnel, and military staff serving on the island. In addition, a special residency and settlement incentive of €5,000 per household per year will be established for those living in Kastellorizo. This amount will be tax-free and exempt from seizure, and will increase by €1,000 for each minor child in the household.
