Turkey: Muslim Countries Concerned over Israel-Greece-Cyprus Alliance

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ANKARA – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Sunday that Muslim countries in the region are concerned about the developing military alliance between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. Fidan noted that Greece has joined Israel’s group despite being a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

“No one has given us any guarantees that this is not an initiative against us before or after its formation,” Fidan said during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey, as reported by MEE.

He also referred to comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while standing alongside the Greek prime minister and the Cypriot president at last year’s trilateral summit in Israel.

At the December press conference, Netanyahu took a swipe at Turkey, which is perceived as seeking to rebuild the Ottoman Sultanate.

“To those fantasising that they can rebuild their empire and dominion over our land, I say: Forget it. It won’t happen. Don’t even think about it,” Netanyahu said.

The Israel-Greece-Cyprus alliance, which began in the early 2010s, encompasses cooperation in security and defence, such as joint military training and intelligence sharing.

Fidan stated last week that the alliance aims to encircle Turkey from the south and said that it creates more problems and leads towards war.