President Erdoğan says he will no longer talk to Greek PM

Erdoğan also reiterated that Turkey made a mistake by re-accepting Greece into NATO’s military wing in 1980

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 23 he would cease talking to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and cancel a key meeting between their two governments, saying the Greek leader antagonizes Turkey, Qazet.az reports.

In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdoğan accused neighboring Greece of harboring followers of leader of the FETÖ leader Fethullah Gülen, who was behind a 2016 failed coup attempt. 

Erdoğan accused Mitsotakis of recommending to U.S.officials that Washington not sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey during a recent visit to the United States.

“This year we were supposed to have a strategic council meeting. There’s no longer anyone called Mitsotakis in my book. I will never accept having such a meeting with him because we walk on the same path as politicians who keep their promises, who have character and who are honorable,” Erdoğan said.

Erdoğan was referring to a speech Mitsotakis delivered in Washington on May 17, when he told Congress that the U.S. should avoid creating a new source of instability on NATO’s southeastern flank.

Responding to Erdogan’s comments Monday, Greek government spokesman Yiannis Economou said Athens “will not get into a confrontation of statements with Turkey’s leadership.”

Turkey says Greece is violating international agreements by militarizing islands in the Aegean Sea. Athens says it needs to defend the islands _ many of which lie close to Turkey’s coast _ against a potential attack using Turkey’s large fleet of military landing craft.

Officials from both countries resumed exploratory talks in 2021 after a five-year pause to lay the groundwork for formal negotiations to begin, but haven’t made much progress.

Greece this month formally extended its bilateral military agreement with the United States for five years, replacing an annual review of the deal that grants the U.S. military access to three bases in mainland Greece as well as the American naval presence on the island of Crete.

“Who is Greece threatening with these bases? Why is Greece establishing these bases?” Erdğgan asked.

Erdoğan also reiterated that Turkey made a mistake by re-accepting Greece into NATO’s military wing in 1980. 
The Turkish leader has also recently lashed out at Sweden’s and Finland’s requests to join NATO, saying Turkey would not support that.