Turkey continues on its own course, persisting with the climate of war threats it has been cultivating in recent days, while it appears to have mapped out different levels of military escalation. Turkey’s Ministry of Defense is preparing for every contingency in the Eastern Mediterranean — including scenarios involving crisis, heightened tension, and outright war — as Ankara closely monitors a rapidly developing military cooperation between Israel and Greece, according to an official government document. The document, revealed by Nordic Monitor and dated August 10, 2026, bearing the signature of Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, is of particular significance for Greece and Cyprus.
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Ankara directly links its military planning and operational readiness to developments in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, the strengthening of Greek-Israeli defense cooperation, and the security of the Occupied Territories in Cyprus. The letter was a response to a question submitted by Gaziantep MP Hasan Öztürkmen, who had requested a briefing from the Turkish Ministry of Defense on regional military developments. In the final paragraph of the document, the Turkish Ministry of Defense openly references preparations for different levels of military escalation.
Turkey’s preparations and Güler’s plans
“Within the scope of our ministry’s responsibilities and our interest in the region, the necessary work is being carried out and the required measures are being taken against all types of developments that may arise in the field, including possible crises, tensions, and war, while the security of our state and our region is being monitored without interruption,” the document states.
What Ankara is planning
The wording reveals that Ankara has incorporated into its planning not only the management of potential crises or periods of heightened tension, but also the possibility of armed conflict — underscoring that the necessary measures are already being taken. In the same response, the Turkish Ministry of Defense makes clear that it is systematically monitoring Greece’s military movements and armaments programs.
What the document says
Specifically, it states that Greece’s “military cooperation and armaments activities” in both the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as Athens’ related statements and actions, are being monitored “with sensitivity” by Ankara. It further adds that wherever deemed necessary, “the required responses are demonstrated in a timely manner” — a formulation that suggests Turkey regards Greek defense moves as a key variable in its broader military planning.
The defense relationship between Greece and Israel
Particular reference is also made to the defense relationship between Greece and Israel, which the Turkish side acknowledges has been significantly strengthened in recent years, noting that it is being “closely monitored” by the Turkish Ministry of Defense. Güler’s letter represents a rare official admission that Ankara is now formally incorporating the possibility of armed conflict into its broader state planning.
