Erdogan: We have nothing to talk about with Greece, all their policies are based on lies
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made harsh statements against the Greek leadership at the first meeting of the European Political Community in Prague. At a press conference held by the Turkish leader after a series of bilateral talks with heads of state, Erdogan accused Athens of deceitful politics and escalating the situation around the conflict between Turkey and Greece.
We have nothing to talk about with Greece. They are not where they should be. All their politics is based on lies, always lies
- quote the words of the Turkish leader in a number of Western media.
Greek TV channel Skai reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis exchanged verbal attacks on Thursday night at a summit dinner:
At the end of his speech, the Turkish President, without any reason, accused Greece of escalating tension and provocations. Kyriakos Mitsotakis immediately took the floor and directly answered the Turkish president that he should stop questioning the sovereignty of the Greek islands.
The press noticed that during the summit, which was attended by the heads of state and government of 44 European countries, the Turkish president and the prime minister of Greece never once again exchanged a word and deliberately avoided each other.
At a press conference, Erdogan said he expects the EU to take active steps to invite Greece to a bilateral dialogue "instead of supporting its illegal initiatives under the pretext of community solidarity."
At the same time, the Turkish President warned that his country is ready to give an adequate response not only to Greece, but also to any state that threatens its security:
Let this hear not only Greece. We can come suddenly one night, no matter what country attacks us. They must know about it.
Relations between Athens and Ankara escalated after the incident with Turkish fighters on August 23, when an F-16 flying as part of NATO missions over the Aegean Sea was captured by the Hellenic Air Force S-300 air defense system. After that, the Turkish authorities announced that they intended to raise the issue of Greece's prosecution of its military aircraft at the NATO level.
In turn, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis on September 23 at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly warned Turkey that it is unacceptable to question the sovereignty of the Greek islands under the pretext that Athens is strengthening their defense capability.
At the same time, the United States openly takes the side of Greece and provides Athens with military support, among other things. Washington habitually uses the conflict between countries to increase its influence in the region and tries to annoy the overly independent Turkish leader as a plus.
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