conflicts
Erdogan: Defend interests against Athens “by all means”.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is adding fuel to the conflict with Greece. photo
© Turkish Presidency/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to rely on rhetorical escalation in the conflict with Greece. Relations between Turkey and Greece are currently at a low point.
The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will “defend the rights and interests of our country against Greece by any means necessary”. According to the Presidential Office, Erdogan said so on Monday evening.
Relations between the two neighboring countries and NATO members are currently at a low point. Ankara argues that Greece is violating the Treaties of Lausanne (1923) and Paris (1947) by militarizing islands in the East Aegean. Erdogan had recently threatened the neighbor in this connection with the sentence: “We can suddenly come one night”. Athens justifies the militarization with a threat from Ankara and the right of every state to self-defense.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis offered Erdogan renewed talks last week. Erdogan has so far refused direct talks with representatives of Greece.