Erdogan's message before the visit to Greece: My friend Qirjako, we do not threaten you, if you do not threaten us!

2023-12-06 18:47:44Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Erdogan's message before the visit to Greece: My friend Qirjako, we do not
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Greek President Qirjako Miçotaqis

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will arrive in Greece in an unexpected visit, after many years of tension and bad relations between the two countries.

Before his arrival, in an interview with the Greek media, Erdogan announced that the message he will give to the Greek Prime Minister is: "My friend Kyriakos, we do not threaten you, if you do not threaten us!"

"Unresolved problems continue between us and we accept this reality. But it is up to us whether we will allow these issues to cause tension and discord between our governments and our people. It is in this context that I spoke about a "new page" in our relations and about a "win-win" principle which is essential for Turkey's approach to international relations.

Asked what eased the ongoing tension between Greece and Turkey, Erdogan said it comes from a revised perspective of the countries towards each other.

"Above all, our peoples have steadfastly supported both governments in this year's elections, empowering us to take strong and constructive steps forward."

The Turkish president also spoke about the threat he made a year ago to Greece, saying that "We may come one night unexpectedly".

"As I mentioned, only those who threaten us should fear us. This has consistently been our response to those who challenge our integrity. Greece is not our enemy. We are a nation that has repeatedly shown that our words are not uttered without purpose. Western media try to twist my words.”

Together with Erdogan, a part of his cabinet will fly to Athens to continue with what is being called a 'positive agenda' which is expected to smooth out the ups and downs of relations between them once and for all. This is Erdogan's first visit to Greece since 2017.


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