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Erdogan issues ‘crazy Turk’ attack threat

Erdogan issues ‘crazy Turk’ attack threat

In the latest installment of threatening rhetoric, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened Greece with a “crazy Turk” attack if it does not wise up. 

Speaking at a rally in Istanbul on Friday, he said Turkey’s Tayfun missile has scared Greece and stressed, “We are not so concerned about striking Athens as long as you [Greece] are smart.” 

“If you militarize the islands, will we sit with our hands tied? Look [Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos] Mitsotakis, you are talking left and right again. Know this: If you try to make a mistake, you know that the crazy Turks will make an attack. But if you stay smart and well-behaved, we have no business with you,” he said.

Erdogan’s incendiary rhetoric followed other strong statements shortly after Friday prayers, when he was asked by reporters about the statement by Mitsotakis in Davos that “the issue of the Greek islands, Crete and the Libya deal are not open for discussion.” 

“Mitsotakis can say such things. But these statements by Mitsotakis are not enough to determine the fate of the region. First of all, we see that both the Lausanne Treaty and the approach regarding the islands are not currently being implemented by the Greek authorities. Therefore, there can be no such thing as the militarization of the islands. But what are they doing now? They are militarizing these islands and they are going against both the Treaty of Lausanne and the other agreements,” he said.

“We are taking the necessary steps, we are responding [to Greek allegations] in international forums. They [the Greeks] will do what is necessary,” he said. 

There had been no official response from the Greek government by late on Friday night, with sources noting that Greece cannot keep responding to Erdogan’s irrational comments and that Mitsotakis said what he had to say in Davos.

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