Czech Republic condemns Erdogan’s remarks
The Czech Republic, which currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, has condemned recent remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Greece as “unacceptable.”
In a message on Twitter Saturday, the Czech Foreign Ministry said that the fostering of dialogue between the EU and Turkey is one of the “goals” of the Czech presidency. “Unacceptable threatening of EU member states, like the one addressed to Greece in President Erdogan’s recent public speech, is extremely unhelpful in this regard,” it added.
Speaking at an aerial technology festival in the Black Sea city of Samsun where Turkey showcased the prototype of an unmanned fighter jet Saturday, Erdogan threatened Greece to “come down suddenly one night.”
“Your occupying the islands does not bind us. When the time, the hour, comes, we will do what is necessary,” Erdogan said.
The Greek Foreign Ministry issued a statement Saturday saying it will not follow Turkey in its “outrageous daily slide” of statements and threats.
“We will inform our allies and partners on the content of the provocative statements … to make it clear who is setting dynamite to the cohesion of our alliance during a dangerous period,” it said.
Greek officials say they are prepared for a period of high tensions with Turkey that could last at least until the latter’s parliamentary and presidential elections, set for June 2023.
One of the #CZPRES goals is to foster the EU-Türkiye dialogue. Unacceptable threatening of EU member states, like the one addressed to Greece in President Erdogan's recent public speech, is extremely unhelpful in this regard.
— Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@CzechMFA) September 4, 2022
