NEWS

FM dismisses Erdogan’s fake claims

Dendias slams Turkish leader following unprecedented attack on Greece at UN General Assembly

FM dismisses Erdogan’s fake claims

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias issued a stern response to the incendiary accusation against Greece by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

“The country that is instrumentalizing the issue of migration, endangering tens of thousands of lives, comes here to accuse Greece of crimes against humanity, when in fact it is using false data that has been discredited for over 10 days,” said Dendias from New York.

“The country that directly threatens with war, the country that has a standing casus belli, the country that questions Greek sovereignty over the islands of the Aegean comes here to talk about good-neighborly relations.”

“The country that occupies foreign territory, including that of the Republic of Cyprus, comes here to talk about conditions of security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Dendias said, adding that Turkey would be best served by respecting international law and returning to the realm of the rational as quickly as possible.

In his address from the speaker’s podium during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Erdogan accused Greece of “turning the Aegean into a cemetery for migrants.” “With its illegal pushbacks it increases the violence against migrants in the Aegean,” he said. Holding up photos of dead children, Erdogan said that “last week, 4-year-old Abdul Wahab and 9-month-old Asim died with their families as the Hellenic Coast Guard sank their dinghy.”

“The time has come for Europe and the UN to stop these atrocities, which are crimes against humanity,” he said.

Erdogan also stated that apart from the “inhumane pushbacks,” Greece is pursuing a policy of “political repression and discrimination” against its Muslim community.

Dendias said that claims by Turkey regarding Greece’s Muslim community have been heard and answered many times.

“Firstly, Greece is a European country that absolutely respects human rights and, of course, the rights of its Muslim community. After all, this is proven by the raw numbers. The Muslim community in Greece is growing, expanding and prospering,” said Dendias.

“We call on Turkey to answer on what happened to the Greeks of Istanbul and how their once-thriving community of more than 100,000 members today numbers less than 5,000 people.”

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.