Turkey Wants Greece to Demilitarize Island at Heart of Rift
- Greek outpost is focus of exploration rights conflict
- Erdogan defiant in face of increased EU sanctions threat
Greek soldiers prepare to board a ferry at the port of the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo, on Aug. 28.
Photographer: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images
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Turkey demanded that Greece pull its soldiers off a tiny island between them, intensifying the two NATO members’ showdown over energy resources in the Mediterranean Sea.
With Turkish media featuring images of Greek soldiers arriving on the island, the Foreign Ministry in Ankara said Sunday that their presence violated a 1947 peace treaty. “We will not allow such a provocation just across our shores,” ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said.