The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, threatened Greece with a missile strike during a speech on Sunday in Samsun, northern Turkey.
According to Ekathimerini, Erdogan said Turkey’s TAYFUN missiles, a short-range ballistic missile with a range of about 560 kilometres, could reach the capital Athens “unless you stay calm.”
“Greece is afraid of our missiles. They say that the TAYFUN missile will hit Athens, it will, unless you stay calm,” Erdogan said.
While these threats are not new, they are more specific than normal. Last week, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, warned Greece of an invasion if it does not stop its military presence in the Aegean islands.
Cavusoglu said Turkey would “suddenly arrive overnight,” a phrase used by Turkish officials to intensify its rhetoric against Greece.
Considering Erdogan is facing what is to be a difficult re-election in 2024, Greek officials are concerned the attack will happen in an act of desperation. With Greece set to have its national election next year, officials are also cautious the attack will be timed during the least stability in the Greek government.
Source: Ekathimerini.
