Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed no sign of letting up on the incendiary rhetoric on Tuesday, describing Greece as “incompetent” and as “bait” that is being used by other countries.
“It is laughable that Greece, which is incompetent, is being used against a regional and global power like Turkey,” Greek media reported Erdogan as saying during a speech in Ankara, in translated comments.
Recent activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean – which have set Ankara at odds with Athens, Nicosia and the European Union – are being carried out in pursuit of Turkey’s rights and justice, he said.
“The colonial era is over and we believe that Turkey’s allies will increase in this new period,” Erdogan added, in an apparent swipe at Greece and Cyprus’ European allies.
The Turkish president’s latest inflammatory comments come as Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday indicated that Ankara is open to dialogue with Greece
