Erdogan appeals to Europe to end the escalating crisis with Greece over the Aegean Sea
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked the European Union to invite Greece to a bilateral dialogue with Türkiye instead of “supporting unfair and illegal initiatives” on the problems of the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
This came in a speech after the government meeting, Monday, in which he stressed that in the Czech capital, Prague, during the meeting of the European Political Community, as well as in all forums, Türkiye’s desire to find a solution to the problems of the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean within the framework of international law.
“We expect the European Union to invite the other party (Greece) to a dialogue on a bilateral basis instead of supporting unfair and illegal initiatives in this regard,” Erdogan said.
Recently, there has been an escalation of tension between Ankara and Athens, after Turkish drones monitored the transfer of 23 armored vehicles to the island of Mudali (Lesbos) and 18 others to Sesam (Samos), on September 18 and 21.
On September 26, Türkiye protested to Greece and the United States against the backdrop of the deployment of US-made armored vehicles on the two demilitarized islands.
“We’ve seen the appreciation of our counterparts for our country’s balanced position in the face of regional crises, especially its mediating role in the Russian-Ukrainian war,” Erdogan said.
He indicated that each development reveals once again the fact that Türkiye is indispensable to the European Union and Europe.
In another matter, Erdogan indicated that Türkiye, unlike other countries, has the ability to foresee the threats resulting from the impact of the attacks it has been exposed to for a long time and the machinations against it, indicating that every global crisis and the discussions that follow confirm Türkiye’s possession of this advantage.
He also stressed that Türkiye’s security and social structure, which was reinforced by the experience of combating terrorism, made it safe from other chaos in its region.
Erdogan made clear that the double standards and injustice that Türkiye has suffered in diplomacy for a long time allow it to develop balanced and constructive policies in the face of new regional upheavals.
He pointed out that Türkiye, thanks to the mechanisms it has developed to confront economic problems, is able to reduce the devastating effects of the global crisis.
He stated that today witnessed the publication of unemployment figures for the month of August, which decreased by 0.4 points and reached 9.6%.
He added, “The number of jobs exceeded 31 million, and thus we reached the highest employment number in the history of the republic”.
