Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he no longer acknowledges the leader of neighboring Greece and will not meet with him at a planned summit this year, threatening to deepen the NATO crisis over Turkey’s opposition to enlargement.
Erdogan blocked Sweden’s and Finland’s proposals to join NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He accused the Scandinavian countries of maintaining ties with Kurdish extremists, who he said posed a risk to Turkey’s security. On Monday, he vented his anger on NATO member Greece, saying it also hosts “terrorists”.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, met with US President Joe Biden last week and addressed a joint session of Congress. He called on US lawmakers to consider airspace violations by Turkey when deciding on defense procurement in the eastern Mediterranean.
This is tantamount to lobbying Congress against providing Turkey with the F-16 fighter jet, Erdogan said in a televised statement after a cabinet meeting. Erdogan has pushed Biden for planes to modernize Turkey’s aging fleet after being dropped from the F-35 fighter jet program to buy an advanced Russian missile system designed to bring down NATO planes.
“At my meeting with [Mitsotakis], we have agreed not to include third parties. However . . . In a speech to the Senate, he spoke out against Turkey and suggested to America, “Don’t you dare give Turkey an F-16,” he said. “From now on, there is no one called Mitsotakis for me.
In a speech to the Senate, he spoke out against Turkey and suggested to America, “Don’t you dare give Turkey an F-16.” From now on, there is no one called Mitsotakis for me
Erdogan will miss a “meeting of the strategic council” this year, when he will meet with the Greek leader. “On the F-16, I don’t think America will probably wait for Mitsotakis to make its decision,” he added.
Greece and Turkey, NATO allies, have come dangerously close to an armed conflict in 2020, when Ankara deployed warships and seismic vessels to explore hydrocarbons in internationally recognized Greek waters. But Erdogan has tried to restore relations recently, including during Mitsotakis’ visit to Istanbul in March.
Responding to Erdogan’s reproach, a Greek government spokesman said: “We will not face statements from the Turkish leadership. Greek foreign policy is strongly based on history, international law and our alliances, no matter how much it worries some.
Erdogan also signaled that another cross-border operation could soon be launched in Syria to fight the Syrian Kurdish Defense Forces (YPG), which has allied with the United States to fight ISIS.
Turkish forces have invaded Syria three times to fight the YPG, most recently in 2019. His efforts to create a “safe zone” on the border at the time, however, failed when Russian forces moved to YPG-controlled areas. , after being released from US special forces. NATO has warned that the invasion has threatened the fight against ISIS, and European countries, including Sweden, have imposed restrictions on defense exports to Turkey in response.
“We will soon take new steps to complete the 30-kilometer” safe zones “along our southern border that we started before,” Erdogan said, adding that the final decision would be made on Thursday at his national security council. “As soon as our military, intelligence and police have completed their preparations, God forbid, our operations will begin.
Additional report by Eleni Varvicioti in Athens
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