Today’s statements by Recep Tayyip Erdogan marked a sharp departure from the rhetoric heard in recent weeks, as the Turkish president declared that Greece is not an enemy of Turkey, but rather a neighbor and ally. A senior Greek government source commented that “President Erdogan’s statements today on Greek-Turkish relations move in a very different direction from what we had been hearing recently.” The source added that “we are neighbors — bound by geography — to live side by side with one another,” and stressed that “what matters right now is to bring down this tension — tension that we did not create.”
Read more: Erdogan’s sudden “love” for Greece: “They are not our enemy, but a neighbor and NATO ally”
Erdogan’s sudden U-turn on Greece at the UN
Earlier today, the Turkish president made a striking reversal, stating that Greece is a neighbor and ally of Turkey — not an enemy. Speaking in New York before departing for Turkey, Erdogan addressed a range of foreign policy issues and turned his attention to Greece. “Turkey is not Greece’s enemy — it is its neighbor and its ally under the NATO umbrella,” he emphasized.
He further noted that “the relations between the two countries are far too sensitive and important to be used as election campaign material. We have no interest in interfering in Greece’s domestic politics. Greece holds elections, governments change, oppositions change. These things do not concern us.”
Meanwhile, in separate remarks made on his return flight from New York, the Turkish president expressed his confidence that Turkey would rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program. He argued that Ankara now expects “concrete steps” from Washington in that direction, adding that former President Trump has shown a favorable stance on the matter. “President Trump expressed a positive willingness regarding Turkey’s return to the F-35 program,” Erdogan stated.
