Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continued his controversial rhetoric and warned Greece that Turkish missiles could reach Athens if the Greeks do not calm down, writes Politico.
Erdoğan said on Sunday, 11th of December: «Now we have started to produce our own missiles. Of course, this production scares the Greeks. When you say Tayfun, the Greek gets scared and says, «It will hit Athens.» Well, of course, it will.» He added that if the Greeks try to buy weapons, for example, from the Americans, Turkey will not stand by.
Turkey tested the new missile over the Black Sea in October, and it hit its target about 560 kilometers away.
Turkey has ratcheted up its hostile rhetoric against Greece in recent months as it sees Athens increasing its military presence on islands in the Aegean Sea near Turkey’s coastline.
Erdoğan has repeatedly issued thinly veiled threats to Greece: «We can suddenly appear one night if necessary.»
Last week, Turkey’s foreign minister warned Greece to stop arming or Ankara would take the necessary steps.
Despite being NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have been in conflict for decades over various issues, including maritime borders. This year, Greece has called on its western allies to put an end to Turkey’s hostile rhetoric in order to avoid a situation similar to the one in Ukraine.