Turkey accused Greece on Sunday of deliberately undermining European security by attempting to block Ankara’s entry into the European Union’s SAFE defense initiative, a multibillion-euro program aimed at boosting joint military investment across the bloc.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issued a strong rebuke of Athens for opposing Turkey’s request to join the new EU funding mechanism that would allow the bloc to raise up to €150 billion in capital market loans by the end of the decade.
The initiative is intended to support collective investments in weapons systems, ammunition, drones, air defense systems, and shared security infrastructure.
“Greek politics feeds on an anti-Turkish stance. Whenever there is a domestic mistake, they immediately bring up Turkey,” Fidan said. “Regarding the SAFE program, the fact that the Greek prime minister boasts in the Greek parliament that he will prevent Turkey from joining, just to protect himself, is something that must be treated with caution.”
According to a report by Al-Andalus, the European Commission confirmed it had received Turkey’s application to join the SAFE program and that the request is under review.
Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said that if the decision is made to support Turkey’s inclusion, the European Council would need to approve it before bilateral negotiations could begin.
Regnier added that the Commission takes member states’ concerns seriously and that safeguards exist to ensure no harm comes to the EU’s strategic interests.
Meanwhile, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported that Germany is pressuring Athens to drop its opposition to Turkey’s participation ahead of the November 30 submission deadline.
Fidan said Turkey had made its concerns known to its European counterparts.
“The European security system has been hijacked by countries like Greece. These countries are not truly concerned with Europe’s security,” he said.
He recalled Greece’s past departure from NATO’s military wing, stating, “In 1974, Greece withdrew from NATO’s military wing. It returned in 1980. At that time, Turkey agreed to it, even though it could have chosen not to. Greece could have remained outside NATO until it met our conditions. But Turkey saw the broader strategic picture and agreed. That was the leadership’s decision back then.”
'Now we expect the same maturity from Greece'
“Now we expect the same maturity from Greece,” Fidan continued. “There is a much greater European security threat at stake. Much more is on the line than the hypothetical issues we create for each other. How far we can advance with an approach that ignores this is another question.”
He added that the European Union Council of Ministers is scheduled to meet in Luxembourg on Monday. He confirmed that his Greek counterpart had requested a meeting to discuss the matter.
Fidan also addressed the war between Israel and Gaza, and raised concerns over Cyprus. “Aircraft taking off from Cyprus have caused the deaths of many Palestinians. I do not know how they will atone for this sin or cope with their complicity in it,” he said.
He further alleged that the Greek side is continuing to expand its defense procurement from Israel, saying, “They are engaged in excessive armament.”
“This militarization mindset carries the risk of leading them in the wrong direction,” Fidan concluded. “We are not dealing with wise and cautious people who think logically, believe in a Turkish-Greek future on the island, and propose a vision with sound strategic foresight. Weapons are our field. These people have never fought. They should not even entertain such an idea.”