Turkish president Recep Erdogan, has delivered an inflammatory speech directed at Greece and aimed at deflecting criticism away from his running of the Turkish economy.
Tensions between Greece and Turkey have risen over recent months due to Turkish plans to drill for oil in Cypriot and Greek territorial waters. The move by Turkey to also start transforming Orthodox churches and UNESCO world heritage sites into mosques has also led to heightened tension between the two states.
In the speech, Erdogan said that Turkey would not take any steps back in the Eastern Mediterranean and that it would stand its ground. He said:
"From now on, Greece will be responsible for all conflicts in region, and will be at a disadvantage. We have built a Turkey that implements its own projects, sets own goals and makes own decisions in politics, the economy, the military field. God willing, we have left the hardest times behind, it is time to reap the benefits for the sacrifices we have made, to see the rewards of the seeds we sowed, collect the harvest and see the results of our labour."
#BREAKING From now on, Greece will be responsible for all conflicts in region, and will be at disadvantage: Turkish president
— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) August 24, 2020
He went on:
"Again, in this period, instead of being on the side of their own people, those who prefer to strike the sword of the infidel to our nation, who prefer to act in the scenarios prepared in America, Europe and the Gulf, are referred to the judgement of the nation. My beloved nations, those who cannot get their teeth in our country, are attacking our economy as they always do. They are charging with all their might to condemn us, using once again the trap of the classic evil triangle of the exchange rate, interest and inflation."
A peek into the paranoid mindset of #Turkey's President #Erdogan:
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) August 24, 2020
He presents himself as victorious over challenges yet he sounds panicked about worsening economy, accuses his opposition of siding with 'infidels', claims the US, EU and the Gulf back opponents against him. pic.twitter.com/MGFk6CvVm0
The Turkish state under Erdogan has been widely condemned for imperialistic actions in the region and for its treatment of the opposition within Turkey. This includes the invasion of Northern Syria by the Turkish army and Turkey's continued persecution of Kurdish people within their own borders.
Erdogan has also consistently made moves to destroy internal democratic opposition, particularly since a failed coup attempt in 2016. Many opposition political parties and newspapers have been shut down and a recent vote in the Turkish parliament will allow for them to silence and censor critical voices online, including on major social networks and media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Turkey now has more journalists imprisoned than any other country in the world and is ever increasingly being seen as a pariah state.
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