Erdogan in an anti-Greek delirium – Athens’ responses to Turkey’s rhetorical and de facto détente

By Dimitris Gatsiou

They are under the microscope of the Greek capital the new rhetorical crowns of the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who unfolds his anti-Hellenic delusion, constantly adding…points to his neo-Ottoman outbursts. Athens, in the face of the revisionist “dreams” of the leadership of its eastern neighbor, is sending out messages of readiness and determination, with the government representative responding to Ankara’s detente in words and deeds, but also to the intensifying grandiosity of President Erdogan, as it was portrayed, for internal consumption, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Disaster.

“Mr. Erdogan has chosen to distort history, to serve his revisionism. Greece, on the contrary, in its centuries-long course, is writing history. History of which we are proud, since Greece excels with its culture and its achievements . Greece, whenever necessary, knows very well how to defend its rights with vigor and efficiency”, noted Mr. Economou in response to the…crowns of its neighbor’s president, who, in a speech in Kiutachia, adopted inflammatory claims that negatively ionize the environment in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. “This nation, full of faith in their hearts, threw the infidels into the sea from Smyrna…The enemy by destroying and burning our cities as they retreated showed their vile character. Just like today,” argued Recep Tayyip Erdogan, choosing the rota of extreme sharpening. In parallel time, the propaganda tactic on the part of Ankara finds continuity, through positions that raise the bar of provocation. Like, for example, that of the government companion of the President of Turkey, Devlet Bahceli, and also of the Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar. “It is my wish that the present government which is afflicting the Greek people will come to its senses and immediately stop chasing madness. Otherwise, the price they will pay will be much heavier than on August 30, 1922 and will manifest itself as an inevitable fact of life and history”, said the former, in the wake of the out-of-bounds claims that the S-300 missiles installed in Crete “targeted” Turkish F-16s. “Unfortunately in the Aegean this bad neighbor of ours harasses us in every way. And we say it once again. Our navy, air force and land forces never engage in harassment when they are not harassed. What we are trying to say is that we are not under any threat, that we will never allow our rights to be violated, and that we will not allow any fait accompli”, noted the second, with Athens firmly pointing the way to international law, proposing, at the same time, the strong of her positions.

“Recently, the Turkish side invokes false facts, in order to cause offsets with the reasons and causes that have excluded it from the supply of weapon systems from the United States of America… The bad for Turkey and the good for our country is that it is in the full knowledge of both our allies and all those who participate in NATO, what the reality is. Greece always respects its obligations in the Alliance. It always respects International Treaties and International laws and has always been and will continue to be a a factor of stability and peace in both the Aegean and the Mediterranean,” the government spokesman stressed.