Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece not to “go too far” amid heightened tensions in recent months over territorial disputes between the two NATO allies.
(Bloomberg) — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece not to “go too far” amid heightened tensions in recent months over territorial disputes between the two NATO allies.
“Greece’s occupation of Aegean Sea islands is not our concern. When the time comes, we will do what is necessary. As we say, all of a sudden, we can come overnight,” Erdogan cautioned in a speech on Saturday in the province of Samsun on the Black Sea coast.
The Turkish government is irked by what it sees as a growing Greek military build-up on islands close to its coastline and Western military support to Greece. Turkey is also frustrated with the growing US military footprint in Greek border towns.
Tensions between the two neighboring countries increased further this week after Greece lodged a complaint to NATO asking for deletion of a post on Twitter by the organization’s Allied Land Command to mark Turkey’s 100th Victory Day on Aug. 30. Turkey observes that date each year to remember the effective end of its War of Independence in 1922 by defeating Greek armies.
Erdogan on Saturday urged Athens to “remember Izmir” and said: “If you go too far, the price will be heavy.” Izmir was the last city that Ankara liberated from Greek occupation at the end of the war.
Read More: Turkish Minister Flies in F-16 Jet Over Aegean Amid Greece Spat
As a defiant gesture, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar flew over the Aegean Sea in a war jet on Friday, after vowing that Turkey had “always responded to this impertinence of Greece and will continue to do so.”
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