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Türkiye's defense minister has accused Greece's government of escalating tensions with Ankara to cover up their domestic problems.
"Some politicians and soldiers are constantly and consciously trying to increase the tension in order to cover up their internal troubles," Hulusi Akar said today (January 2) while examining a newly built warship that is being tested in the Sea of Marmara.
"We are also working as cautiously as possible on this issue. They get up every morning and make sure to throw something out and do their best to create tension."
Such accusations from both sides have continued for about a year. While Greece has accused Türkiye of violating its airspace, Ankara accused its Western neighbor of arming the Aegean islands in violation of the Treaty of Lausanne and pushing back refugees.
The treaty among others recognized the boundaries of the modern state of Türkiye and ensured the demilitarized status of some islands in the Aegean Sea. This status has been later reconfirmed in the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947.
More recently, President Erdoğan asserted that Greece fears that Türkiye's newly developed Tayfun long-range missiles can hit the country.
CLICK - Türkiye–Greece tensions: A quick overview
"Scandals" in Greece
Hulusi Akar remarked that there are safety measures and resolution procedures meetings within NATO. But Greece is trying to portray its problems with Türkiye as "As a problem that Türkiye has with NATO, the USA and the European Union."
"All of Türkiye's statements are based on legal realities and concrete data. Nevertheless, there are many reasons originating from Greece that results could not be achieved.
"There are many scandals in Greece right now. There are eavesdropping scandals, immigration scandals, corruption... In addition to this, Greece has failures and faults in the Eastern Mediterranean which has been noticed in Greek public opinion. They hope to increase tensions with Türkiye to cover up all this.
The chief of defense furthermore noted that Türkiye is not a threat to anyone and that it is a strong and effective ally, while "The only thing certain politicians and soldiers in Greece do is cry. They are constantly trying to bring and promote their chauvinist policies by crying."
Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis used similar remarks on November 3 2022 when responding to statements of President Erdoğan. He had said Ankara's increasingly hostile stance towards Greece was a way to "deflect attention away from the country's economic spiral." Adding that "If we had 85 percent inflation, I'd be trying to change the subject too." (SD/WM/VK)
