Greek Defence Minister Kammenos Warns Turkey's Erdogan Of Revising International Law
Southeast Europe | October 1, 2016, Saturday // 14:31| viewsBGNES
Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos recommended to Turkish President Recep Erdogan to refrain from embarking on the dangerous road of revising international law.
On Thursday, Erdogan criticised the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 1923 as damaging to Turkish interests. According to Erdogan, in Lausanne, the Turks gave over to Greece the islands in the Aegean Sea where “shouts can be heard from our shores” and there are “mosques and relics that belong to us”.
The President underlined that the country is fighting for the shelf to the present day and that “these problems originated because of those who sat around the table in Lausanne and could not defend Turkey’s rights.”
Turkish media assessed this statement as criticism of the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who considered the signing of the Lausanne Treaty a victory after the unfavourable for Turkey Treaty of Sevres of 1920.
In Greece, however, political observers stated that, for the first time in contemporary history, the government in Turkey is questioning the Lausanne Treaty and the borders between the two countries.
“Now, the entire world understands that Erdogan’s efforts are directed towards turning Turkey into a theocratic state by rejecting, because of internal problems, the changes made by Kemal Ataturk,” emphasised Kammenos.
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