US maintains impartiality between Türkiye, Greece, says ambassador

Ambassador Flake (r) visiting Deputy Foreign Minister in February in Ankara. (Photo: AA)

The US ambassador to Türkiye has said that his country maintains impartiality in its relations with Türkiye and Greece, apparently in response to recent criticism from Ankara.

"I've been asked if there has been a shift in US security posture in the Aegean. The answer is no," Jeff Flake said in a written statement posted on the embassy's Twitter account yesterday (October 18). "Our security cooperation does not come from a position of partiality or imbalance towards any single partner."

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu last week criticized the US for "losing balance" in regional policies.

"In the past, it was balanced in Cyprus. It was balanced in Greece-Türkiye relations as well," he had told TVNET during a live interview.

"It is extremely wrong that the US broke the balance to 'make certain lobbies happy'," he had asserted.

His statements came amid increased tensions in the Aegean Sea, with Ankara accusing Athens of arming demilitarized islands in violation of the treaties of Lausanne and Paris.

On September 26, Türkiye gave formal protest notes to the ambassadors of the US and Greece, following the release of drone images by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) that purportedly showed Greece's deployment of US-made armored vehicles on the islands of Lesbos and Samos.

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However, the US efforts are currently focused on putting an end to Russia's war on Ukraine, according to ambassador Flake.

"Türkiye continues to provide valuable support, notably advancing food security and fostering dialogue between Ukraine and Russia," he said. "Our defense cooperation with Greece strengthens NATO's eastern flank in support of Ukraine and of our NATO Allies in Central and Eastern Europe.

"Our overriding objective, shared with our NATO Allies Türkiye and Greece, is peace, security and stability throughout the region."

Statement by #AmbassadorFlake: pic.twitter.com/KA5PeRJjGP

— U.S. Embassy Turkey (@USEmbassyTurkey) October 18, 2022

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