Ankara accuses Athens of harassing Turkish aviation, the maximalist positions that Greece is trying to impose in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, and interventionist actions by supporting provocative rhetoric and also throwing thorns against the US.

In a statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said:

“I think the points I have made and the message I want to convey are very clear. Greece’s attitude towards Turkey in recent times is inexplicable. On the one hand, violations in the Aegean Sea, harassment of our aircraft, some of which are carrying out NATO missions, intrusive actions up to blocking radars with S-300 missiles. Have you ever heard anything about the Greek S-300s from those who talked about our S-400s? S-300s are also Russian and S-400s are also Russian. But they don’t say anything about it. They continue to militarize the islands right under our noses in defiance of the negotiated demilitarized regime. At the same time, of course, there is the creation of bases. America is leading the way. If we have the opportunity to meet with Mr. President when we go to the UN General Assembly, we will mention the steps taken by the United States on this issue and we will talk about these issues,” Erdogan said.

On the other hand, he added, “there are maximalist positions that are trying to impose on us the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean in the context of maritime jurisdictions. There is nothing to be accepted. Instead of talking directly to Turkey, they work almost like a threat mechanism, constantly protesting against us in the UN, the United States of America, the European Union and even NATO, of which we are one of the strongest members. Of course, this cannot be accepted. Whatever language they understand, we open the brackets and speak that language. I understand that they understand it too.”