Erdogan: Greece must grasp it cannot reach anything through provocations

As ties with Athens reached a new low recently due to several bilateral disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Greece should refrain from provocations.-

By Daily Sabah,

Greece must understand that it will not achieve anything through provocations and must “come to its senses,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said late Wednesday amid renewed tension between the two Mediterranean neighbors.

“Greece needs to come to its senses. They must learn that provocation and instigation will not get them anywhere,” Erdoğan said during a joint live broadcast on the ATV and a Haber channels.

“It is not possible to explain or accept the stance Greece adopted lately toward Türkiye. Of course, we cannot stay silent and unresponsive in the face of this hostile and aggressive stance,” he added, warning that Ankara would respond through its works, including those in the defense industry.

Erdoğan said that the locally made, short-range ballistic missile Tayfun was probably disturbing Greece. Saying that the distance of the missile would be increased, Erdoğan indicated: “In other words, the range of 561 kilometers (348.56 miles) is to be extended further… Of course, these 561 kilometers started to frighten the Greeks because Athens is completely within its range, they gave a red alert.”

Relations deteriorated after Erdoğan said Mitsotakis “no longer exists” for him, when the Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis lobbied to block sales of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye during a visit to the United States, despite previously agreeing with Erdoğan “to not include third countries in our dispute.” In May, Erdoğan cut ties with Mitsotakis and declared all other channels of communication between the countries closed.

Türkiye and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.

Ankara accuses Athens of illegally militarizing Greek islands in the Eastern Aegean and questions Greece’s sovereignty over them. There is also a dispute over the exploitation of mineral resources in the Aegean.

The most recent incidents to have spurred tensions include two Greek coast guard boats opening fire on a cargo ship in international waters, continued pushbacks by Greek elements recorded by Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the harassment of Turkish fighter jets on a NATO mission by Greece’s Russian-made S-300s.

It was reported recently that Turkish jets on a reconnaissance mission, flying in international airspace, were harassed by a Greek defense system stationed on Crete.

Türkiye to maintain ties with Israel

Erdoğan said also he wanted to maintain Türkiye’s relations with Israel based on mutual understanding, no matter the election outcome, as former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looked set to return to power.

Erdoğan’s comment came amid a thaw in long-strained ties between Türkiye and Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara this year in the first visit to Türkiye by an Israeli leader since 2008. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and then Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also visited Ankara during this process.

The apparent comeback of Netanyahu and the dramatic rise of his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies in Israel’s general election this week could have implications for the ongoing process with Türkiye.

“Whatever the election result, we want to maintain relations with Israel on a sustainable basis, based on mutual respect for sensitivities and common interests,” Erdoğan said.

“As long as values are respected, I believe win-win diplomacy will benefit not only Türkiye and Israel but also the entire region,” he added.

Following months of diplomatic warming, Israel and Türkiye announced on Aug. 17 the full restoration of relations and the return of ambassadors to both countries. This was followed by the mutual appointment of ambassadors.

Israel-Türkiye relations, long-frosty amid feuding over the Palestinian cause, have warmed in recent months, with energy emerging as a key area of cooperation.

Türkiye in 1949 became the first Muslim-majority nation to recognize Israel.