Erdogan ratchets up tensions

from a video released by Greek authorities yesterday shows a Turkish Coast Guard vessel harassing a Greek one, making potentially dangerous maneuvers near its stern. Another video also released yesterday showed Turkish police pushing migrants to the Greek border.

Amid continuing tensions at the Greek-Turkish land border over a fresh migration crisis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan yesterday added fuel to the fire, saying that he did not want to meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and telling German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the migration deal between Turkey and the European Union needs to be revised.

Speaking on a return flight from Moscow, Erdogan said of Mitsotakis, “I don’t want to be in the same place or in the same photograph as him.” Erdogan said Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov tried to convince him to arrange a trilateral summit, but he refused, accusing the Greek government of “chasing” refugees. Erdogan also reiterated accusations of Greek border guards ostensibly shooting migrants at the border and of the Greek coast guard of “sinking boats.” The Greek government has repeatedly rebuffed such claims as fake news aimed at furthering Turkey’s propaganda.

As part of Greek efforts to drum up international support, Mitsotakis is to meet with Merkel in Berlin on Monday. He is expected to focus on the common European asylum policy currently in the making and press for a fairer distribution of the burden across EU member states.