The German foreign minister said the "Greek islands are Greek territory, and no one has the right to query this" during a trip to Athens. Greece and Turkey have been at loggerheads for decades over sea boundaries.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock sided with Greece on Friday over disagreements with Turkey regarding the sovereignty of islands in the eastern Aegean.

Following a meeting with her counterpart, Nikos Dendias, Baerbock told reporters in Athens that "Lesbos, Chios, Rhodes and many, many others ... Greek islands are Greek territory, and no one has the right to query this."

The German government would show solidarity with Greece and stand up for the EU family, she said, adding that she would reiterate this message when she traveled to Istanbul later on Friday.

Baerbock: 'We need unity' in face of Russia's war in Ukraine

"We need unity, we need dialogue, and we need calm action in these difficult times," Baerbock said in reference to tensions between the two NATO members amid the challenges posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Turkish officials say the sovereignty of eastern Greek islands can be disputed if the country maintains a military presence there in violation of its treaty commitments.

Athens contests that stance, accusing Ankara of conducting frequent military overflights of its islands in the eastern Aegean Sea.

The trip marks Baerbock's first official visit to NATO partners Greece and Turkey, which is taking place against the backdrop of Russia's "brutal war of aggression in Ukraine," the German Foreign Ministry said on its website.

Greece and Turkey have been at loggerheads for decades over sea boundaries, related drilling rights and Cyprus: Since 1974, the island has been divided, de facto, into the Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus on the southern two-thirds and the Turkish-controlled part in the north.