“Our President gave the Mitsotakis government a chance and opened the channels for dialogue. The Greek prime minister did not take advantage of this opportunity.”
“Greece only harms itself by opposing Türkiye self-interestedly or relying on third-party countries.”
“It is up to Türkiye to decide on its own as a sovereign state where our drilling ships would conduct their operations.”
“By arming the islands with non-military status, Greece violates international conventions. It is absurd to imagine that Türkiye will not speak out against Greece's illegal actions on such an issue.”
“Greece has been the party responsible for escalating tensions in the Aegean for several months.”
“You would have seen Turkish warplanes flying over the Attica peninsula if Türkiye decided to play a game as dangerous as Greece. But we don't have such a problem.”
“We have not been and will not be the party escalating the tension. However, we have the resources and capabilities to respond to any move.”
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The following is the entire transcript of the interview held by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini with Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun.
“We met with Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun at his home in Istanbul. He welcomed us warmly, and during our long conversation, we addressed a wide range of topics, including Turkish-Greek relations, Ankara's future plans, and internal developments in the neighbouring country. He calmly answered all of our questions, even when we told him Greece's arguments.
Mr Altun is considered one of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's closest colleagues. He participates in all of the neighbouring President's meetings, activities, and contacts with world leaders alongside him. Some people regard Mr Altun as one of Mr Erdoğan's A team's most crucial players.
His interview with Kathimerini is the first with a Turkish government official after the high tension that escalated with the Turkish fighter jets flying over, Mr Mitsotakis' visit to the United States, and Mr Erdoğan cutting off all ties with the Greek Prime Minister since April. Mr Altun's opinions and messages are perhaps valuable in understanding how Ankara interprets the events and how it will act in the coming period.”
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QUESTION: Mr Fahrettin Altun, the first thing I would like to ask you as the Presidency's Director of Communications is to interpret President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's decision to cut off all ties with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. What is the reason behind the decision not to meet with Mitsotakis by making a statement, "Kyriakos Mitsotakis no longer exists for me"? Wouldn't dialogue and communication between Ankara and Athens be beneficial in decreasing tensions and enhancing the relationship between the two countries?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: We want to get along well with all of our neighbours and for peace and stability to prevail in our region. However, we do not allow anyone to take advantage of our good intentions so that the good times are not ruined.
Our President gave the Mitsotakis government a chance and opened the channels for dialogue. The Greek prime minister did not take advantage of this opportunity. He conveyed anti-Türkiye messages in the United States despite promising not to involve third parties in bilateral relations. Thus, he has ruined his credibility before Ankara.
I want to be clear that while Türkiye is continuously on Greece's agenda, Türkiye does not place Greece in the same regard. Greece only harms itself by opposing Türkiye self-interestedly or relying on third-party countries. Likewise, it will primarily be in the interests of the Greek people to resolve disputes through diplomacy and international law.
QUESTION: If the prerequisites are completed, do you anticipate a new Erdoğan- Mitsotakis meeting in the next period?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: In light of the current situation, I don't believe such a meeting will take place. Mitsotakis squandered the chance Türkiye provided for him. In the end, it made the tension-fuelled circles pleased. Greece's money was used to arm rather than for culture or education. We are in this position entirely only due to the Mitsotakis government’s preferences. To persuade Türkiye that he is sincere about acting like a decent neighbour, the Greek Prime Minister needs to exert a lot of effort.
QUESTION: Mr Altun, certain representatives in the US congress are claiming that after July 20, Türkiye would annex Northern Cyprus, a claim that it will be part of Turkish territory… Member of the Parliament from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) talks about “efforts to complete the unnamed annexation process”. This news is widely covered in the Greek and Greek Cypriot press. Does the Turkish government have such a plan?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: Those who are upset by Türkiye's strengthening relations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are always coming up with new allegations. This is intended to divide the Turkish Cypriot community and push Turkish Cypriots away from Türkiye.
As you are aware, Türkiye recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a sovereign state and supports the two-state solution in Cyprus. The fundamental cause of this is that, despite all the well-intentioned actions taken, the Greek Cypriots continue to refuse a solution, and there is no clear sign that the atrocities committed against the Turkish Cypriots over the past century won't be repeated.
The international community, which does not speak out against the unlawful and inhumane embargoes imposed by the Greek Cypriot Administration on the Turkish Cypriot people, and even disregards the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriots, does not have the right to have a say in the relations between Türkiye and the TRNC.
No matter what anyone says, no one has the power to weaken the exceptional bond between the Turkish Cypriots, who are an integral part of the Turkish nation, and Türkiye.
QUESTION: Any information on where the new drillship "Abdulhamid Han" will conduct research? Could the possibility of a new tension arise?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: As you are aware, Türkiye has recently advanced significantly in the energy sector. By purchasing drillships, we put an end to our dependence on foreign countries in this field. We began laying the pipes that would transport the gas we discovered in the Black Sea to the land. Thanks to our President's determination and vision, all of this was achieved. It is up to Türkiye to decide on its own as a sovereign state where our drillships would conduct their operations. Nobody should be bothered by the actions Türkiye will take with its own ships in compliance with international law.
QUESTION: Türkiye states that Greece has violated the islands' status and says, " If Greece does not step back on these violations, we will bring up the islands' sovereignty for discussion." A letter was also submitted to the UN on this issue. Is this attitude still valid today? According to the Greeks, this attitude puts at risk their country's territorial integrity.
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: As you know, some islands were granted non-military status in accordance with the Lausanne Peace Treaty (1923) and the Paris Peace Treaty (1947). For many years, we have seen that Greece has violated international agreements by arming these islands. Türkiye also warns that if Greece brings up the current international agreements for discussion, it will only harm itself. This warning should not be interpreted as a threat from Türkiye to Greece out of the blue. Likewise, it is absurd to imagine that Türkiye will not speak out against Greece's illegal actions on such an issue.
QUESTION: What was it about the Greek Prime Minister's speech at the US Congress and his visit to the United States that prompted Ankara's response?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: This is not about the fact that the Greek Prime Minister visits the United States or any other country, but about the fact that he tries to involve third parties in bilateral relations despite his pledges to Türkiye. Perhaps he believes that Greece has benefited in the past from such manoeuvres. But as a reminder, Türkiye is no longer the same country as it was in the past.
QUESTION: Mr Altun, during the first four months of 2022, Turkish fighter jets flew over the Greek islands 120 times and violated Greek airspace 2377 times, according to Kathimerini newspaper news. Compared to 2021, there has been a significant increase. We'd be interested in hearing your comments on this.
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: First, I must say that I find it odd that a newspaper like Kathimerini does not ask the Greek authorities about the violations of Turkish airspace by Greek jets. Greece has been the party responsible for escalating tensions in the Aegean for several months. I'll give you a specific instance to prove my point: On April 27, Greek jets landed on our mainland. They violated our airspace in Datça, Didim, and Dalaman. We are not making this up. We are referring to specific instances in which we have shared radar images with allied countries. Türkiye, therefore, is responding to Greece's provocations. To help your readers visualise what happened on April 27, here's how I'd describe it: You would have seen Turkish warplanes flying over the Attica peninsula if Türkiye decided to play a game as dangerous as Greece. But we don't have such a problem. We have not been and will not be the party escalating the tension. However, we have the resources and capabilities to respond to any move.
QUESTION: The US House of Representatives approved the bill restricting the sale of new F-16 fighter jets and F-16 modernisation kits to Türkiye. Conditions are attached to the bill in relation to Türkiye and Greece. What are your thoughts on this topic? Are these fighter jets within Türkiye's reach?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: It is an ongoing process. Technical meetings were held in Ankara in recent months between our military authorities and their US counterparts on our F-16 procurement and modernisation request, and progress has been made at this level in the process. From a political perspective, the US administration also views our request favourably. In fact, the US Department of State’s letter to several members of Congress who opposed our F-16 request in March clearly demonstrates this. Similarly, President Biden made clear his support for this issue during the NATO Summit speech he made. In this context, as emphasised by the US authorities, our request is critical to NATO's deterrence and defensive capabilities, as well as the Alliance's interoperability. Hence, we expect that the US administration will take the necessary steps to get Congress' approval of the request and thus quickly bring the process to a successful conclusion.
QUESTION: What are the chances of early elections in Türkiye? Mr Erdoğan has announced his candidacy. What do you think of the six-party coalition? Who do you believe will be the candidate of the opposition?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: As our President has repeatedly declared, the elections in 2023 will take place on time as promised.
From where Türkiye was 20 years ago to where it is today, our President's achievements are clear to see.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a leader who has coped with many coup attempts, with a focus on domestic and foreign tutelage and with efforts to design politics.
Surely, the Turkish people know what it means to have real leaders in this era of global turmoil.
QUESTION: What changed in Türkiye after the military coup attempt on July 15, 2016? The Western media also believes that Türkiye is moving toward a more authoritarian form of government. We'd want to hear what you have to say about it. Also, how do you feel about the inclusion of the fight against FETO in Sweden and Finland's NATO membership memorandum for the first time at the NATO Summit in June?
FAHRETTİN ALTUN: Especially in national security, Türkiye made significant breakthroughs following the treacherous coup attempt on July 15. FETO members, infiltrating the most strategic institutions of the state, were sabotaging many critical activities, especially in the fight against terrorism. After the coup attempt, the identification of the members of the organisation and their removal from all areas, especially the public, was a matter of national security. Showing this as authoritarianism can only be interpreted as those who make this claim benefit from the fact that FETO members are in that position.
We asked Sweden and Finland to take concrete steps not only against FETO but also against the PKK and its Syrian branch, the YPG. Ultimately, our interlocutors accepted these legitimate requests. We included this in the trilateral memorandum. Of course, the fight against FETO in such a document reflects Türkiye's diplomatic success. As a result, we approved the decision to extend an invitation to these two countries to attend the Madrid Summit. On the other hand, Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO is conditional on them fulfilling the commitments they made in the trilateral memorandum.