Akar in new anti-Greek tantrum
Straight from the playbook of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Defense Minister Hulusi Akar engaged in new a round of accusations against Greece on Thursday, claiming it is “escalating provocative actions.”
Once again he reiterated the Turkish claim that Greece “is violating treaties by militarizing its islands with demilitarized status,” during a visit to eastern Turkey.
He slammed Greek officials for engaging in “provocative speeches, actions and activities during their visits to the islands.”
Paradoxically, he then called on Greece to engage in “a dialogue on all issues.”
His incendiary rhetoric came on the heels of comments made by Erdogan on Monday night, presenting Turkey as the victim that is reacting.
In an interview with state television network TRT, the Turkish president attacked Greece, claiming it is being provocative and violating Turkey's naval space.
“Greece violates our airspace, harasses our aircraft and harasses our fishermen, raising the tension. To these hostile actions our air force is responding and will continue to respond,” he said, claiming that Greece's recent attitude toward Turkey is against the spirit of good-neighborly relations and NATO. There is no explanation for Greece's attitude toward Turkey, he added.
“This attitude and the false propaganda are against the allied spirit. Greece is annoyed by Turkey's rising profile around the world,” Erdogan was quoted as saying.
Moreover, according to a post by the Anadolu Agency on Twitter, Erdogan said Turkey will not stand idly by while Greece takes measures that threaten its security.
“We will respond both legally and on the ground,” he stressed.
He also claimed that Greece “panicked” because of Turkey's Tayfun ballistic missile. “We built Tayfun and it has a range of 560 kilometers. But I asked for a range of 1,000 kilometers. Why the panic? You can build one too. Why are they bothered? We will not remain handcuffed to the actions taken against the security of our country,” he said.