Erdogan: Greece a ‘pawn’ in ‘sowing unrest’ in Aegean
“Those who sow unrest in the Aegean at every opportunity with their harassment and rudeness are only pawns,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of comments that have fueled tension with Greece.
Speaking at a military ceremony in Istanbul, the Turkish leader said that the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean were designed to undermine his country’s interests.
“We know very well why the EU, which we are waiting to join, excludes us and includes countries that cannot be compared to us,” he added.
Erdogan’s latest comments follow his revisiting on Tuesday of Ankara’s claim that Greek S-300 surface-to-air missiles stationed on Crete locked on to a Turkish aircraft west of Rhodes on Sunday, which he described as a “hostile act.”
Athens has vehemently denied Turkey’s allegation, with Greek military sources assuring that the S-300s did not lock on to Turkish F-16 fighter jets.
Turkey plans to share proof of its allegations that the lock-on took place. [Anadolu, Ekathimerini]
