Greek PM – Turkish Prez lock horns in Prague

Yesterday’s dinner of the leaders participating in the Prague Summit turned into an informal brawl between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish president, who has caused irritation in Europe for his inflammatory statements against Greece as well as for the signing of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, instead of lowering the tone, decided to attack Greece, unprovoked.

According to information, Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the floor at the leaders’ dinner and at the end of his speech, unprovoked, he accused Greece of raising tension and proclivities.

Mitsotakis rises to the challenge

Kyriakos Mitsotakis immediately took the floor calling on the Turkish president to stop questioning the sovereignty of the islands and to stop causing tensions.

In fact, he called on Erdogan to come to understanding and dialogue without tensions and extreme rhetoric, as responsible leaders do.

Erdoğan goes into delirious overdrive

However, the Turkish president, who received a cold reception from the leaders who participated in the Prague Summit, continued the provocations against Greece, proceeding to another delirious tirade.

During the press conference he emphasized by addressing Kyriakos Mitsotakis, without naming him, saying that “a gentleman was disturbed by my speech. It’s against dining etiquette. He came out and spoke. He stated that we used expressions that were harsh to him. It’s not where it should be. Their policies are still based on lies. From now on, we have nothing to discuss with Greece.”

Threats continue

According to Reuters, the Turkish president said that Greece understands the message that Turkey has sent that “we may come suddenly overnight” and Erdogan added that there is nothing to discuss at the moment with Greece.

In fact, as the Turkish president said, the answer “we can come suddenly one night” does not only apply to Greece but to any country that attacks us. And they should know it, he insisted.

The Turkish president wanted to underline the crucial role played by his country in the challenges facing Europe, while he asked the European Political Community to strengthen Turkey’s relations with the EU.

As he explained, we expect the EU to promote its relations with Turkey, based on the accession perspective without yielding to the interests and ambitions of certain countries.

Referring directly to Greece, he said he expects the EU to invite “our interlocutors to dialogue on a bilateral basis instead of supporting illegal initiatives in the name of solidarity in the Union”.

He went on to assert that Turkey does not covet the territory or sovereignty of any country. “We are only fighting to protect the interests of our country and the Turkish Cypriots” Erdogan continued and reiterated that the only key to the solution of the Cyprus problem is the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriots and the recognition of the occupied territories with equal international status. He added that “for a permanent solution, facts on the island must be accepted”.

Macron intervenes

On the sidelines of the Summit in Prague, the Turkish president had a short conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

Macron, according to information, expressed his concern about the tension in the Southeast Mediterranean and asked that Greece and Turkey sit at the same table.

He also asked him, as the same sources claim, to respect international law and human rights.