Recep Tayyip Erdoğan directly referenced Kyriakos Mitsotakis and took aim at the Greek Prime Minister’s comments regarding Turkey’s prospective purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the United States. Speaking at the press conference that closed the NATO Summit in Ankara, the Turkish President drew a parallel between the Israeli Prime Minister and his Greek counterpart. When asked about their respective comments, Erdoğan responded: “Neither of those statements has any place in my world. None whatsoever.” Referring to the Israeli Prime Minister, he added: “Everyone knows what waters Netanyahu navigates.” He then stated that “Mitsotakis was wrong to comment on the F-35s,” emphasizing that “he and his country can buy and sell whatever they want. We have not commented on any of their purchases, even though we are neighbors” — a remark that notably overlooks Turkey’s own complaints regarding the deployment of Patriot missile systems to Karpathos. Erdoğan also hinted that Turkey is currently in discussions with various countries, possibly regarding weapons systems.
Erdoğan on the Aegean: “We will resolve it between ourselves”
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave a negative response when asked by a journalist whether he had discussed the Phanar — specifically the reopening of the Halki Theological Seminary — with Kyriakos Mitsotakis. However, he did speak about the key issue he addressed with the Greek Prime Minister: the Aegean. “With Mr. Mitsotakis, the disputes of the Aegean in particular are a matter we both agree we want to resolve. We believe our ministers will cooperate, sit at the table, and hold discussions. However, I think that resolving such issues is primarily a matter for leaders — something I believe he agrees with as well.”
