Netanyahu: Erdogan used to call me Hitler every 6 hours

THE Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the American journalist Barry Weiss and referred to the accusations he has received as an “authoritarian leader”, while the relations he had with Recep Tayyip Erdogannoted that the Turkish president once called him “Hitler every 6 hours.”

“I always put myself in elections. I never contested the election. Look, Erdogan’s best friend for several years was Barack Obama. They were close friends. I think that changed after Erdogan threw more journalists in jail and basically turned Turkey into a less brilliant democracy. Our relations have improved. He used to call me Hitler every 6 hours,” he said.

At the same time, he stated that “we had a friendly conversation the other day, and I’m very happy with that. I think it’s important. Not because I necessarily approve of everything Erdogan does, I don’t. But – just as Barack Obama had good relations with Turkey and just as President Biden meets with the leaders of China or the leaders of other countries in our region that are not exactly Luxembourgish democracies – that’s what foreign policy does.”

“It’s a combination of interests and values ​​and you have to balance them. To describe me as this boring, anti-democratic strongman, when I’m actually a 19th century democrat, don’t put me in that category. I am probably more knowledgeable, or as knowledgeable, about the basics of modern democracy than any of the leaders currently ruling Western democracies. I’d say I’m as knowledgeable as the best of them,” he added later in his interview.