Erdogan: Greek ‘harassment’ of Turkish jets a ‘hostile act’
“Greece is not an equivalent or interlocutor, either politically, economically or militarily,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, describing the recent “harassment” of Turkish jets by Greek air defense systems as a “hostile act.”
Athens rejects the Turkish claims that its surface-to-air missiles locked on to Turkish F-16 fighter jets carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace on Sunday.
Erdogan made the remarks in a video address on the centenary of Turkey’s Victory Day, which commemorates Turkey’s victory over Greece in the Greco-Turkish War in 1922.
“Just like a century ago, we know the real intentions of those trying to waste our country’s time and energy by using Greece today,” he said.
The Turkish leader said Greece has challenged NATO and its allies by increasing its “hostile attitude,” which started with the “harassing of our airspace and aircraft, to the point of a S-300 radar lock-on.”
Erdogan was also critical of the United States for offering F-35s to Greece “and not to us.”
