Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos directly challenged his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan’s assertion that Greece, Cyprus and Israel have formed a military alliance against Muslim countries in the region.

In a video published on Monday, the foreign ministry showcased Kombos’ diplomatic meetings with Gulf counterparts and featured footage of the minister’s meetings with officials from Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Qatar, alongside representatives of the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The diplomatic rebuke came after Fidan, speaking at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum on Sunday, delivered pointed criticism of Cyprus and Israel, claiming that the two states alongside Greece had “formed an alliance against Muslim countries in the region”.

The ministry said such claims “are rejected”, arguing they ignore what it described as “the continued illegal occupation of Cyprus”, stating that “it is Turkey itself that illegally occupies sovereign European territory, with tens of thousands of soldiers in an offensive posture.”

The response followed comments made earlier by Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan with Anadolu, who raised concerns regarding growing strategic cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

Fidan said Ankara was closely monitoring what he described as a regional alignment that could be perceived as “an operation aimed at encircling Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean”.

He further argued that Athens is pursuing “extremely dangerous policies,” adding that “there are very interesting aspects in Greece’s attempt to pursue a kind of policy that no other country in Europe follows alone.”

Fidan questioned the strategic logic of the trilateral partnerships, refuting the suggestion that either Greece or Cyprus “need military cooperation with Israel”.

“What strategic logic could justify seeking this kind of cooperation is something that not even they can explain to me”, he remarked.  

He also alleged that Israel could attempt to redefine its regional adversaries, saying Israel “may seek to characterize Turkey as a new adversary after Iran, as it cannot survive without an enemy.”

The Turkish foreign minister linked wider regional conflicts to rising instability, pointing to Israeli operations in multiple theatres.

Fidan said Israel’s actions in south Lebanon were similar to those conducted in Gaza and warned that strikes in Syria posed what he described as a “serious danger” to Turkey’s security environment.

Responding to Fidan’s comments, the Hellenic foreign ministry likewise responded that Greece “shapes its foreign policy independently, does not accept instructions, nor does it owe explanations to anyone.”

It further stressed that Greece, as a member of the European Union and NATO and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, “has proven that it has consistently worked for stability, good neighbourly relations and peace over time”, while stressing that its partnerships “have a peaceful purpose and are not directed against third parties.”