A German newspaper has claimed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered his generals to fire upon and destroy Greek ships and fighters in a bid to provoke their Mediterranean neighbours.
The German newspaper Die Welt claimed in a report on Tuesday, entitled “Erdogan’s calculated war,” the Erdogan had asked his Turkish generals to ink a Greek ship and that they should do so securing that no one is killed in the process.
READ MORE: Turkey issues third NAVTEX for illegal survey activities in East Med
When the generals refused, another Turkish official suggested shooting down a Greek fighter, and the pilot could use the launch pad to save himself. But Turkish generals again refused.
The report also said that “if it depended on the Turkish President, his navy would have sunk a Greek ship in the Mediterranean a long time ago.”
READ MORE: Turkish FM proposes ‘sharing’ of East Med resources after accusing Greece of ‘provocative acts’
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Greece of engaging in “provocative acts” in the region with the backing of the European Union.
“We favor a joint solution that involves sitting around the table to negotiate with all sides in the eastern Mediterranean, for everyone to benefit from the eastern Mediterranean resources in a just manner or for the sharing (of resources) fairly,” Cavusoglu said.
