Turkish FM launches brazen verbal attack, calls Greece ‘pathetic’

After defending the controversial agreements Ankara signed with the Libyan government in Tripoli, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday launched into a brazen verbal attack on Greece, which views the maritime borders and hydrocarbon exploration deals with the North African country as a sharp escalation in aggression on Turkey’s part.

“The agreement with Libya foresees exploration on land, at sea, coastal research and more. What do you care, since the agreement does not include a particular area that is under discussion for you?” he said, claiming that Greece is vexed by the agreements because it “cannot stomach the fact that Turkey is a global actor.”

“Greece is pathetic. People are tired of it,” Cavusoglu told TVNET in an interview, according to translated comments.

Cavusoglu also returned to Ankara’s latest trope concerning the demilitarization of the eastern Aegean islands, saying that “Greece is panicking” after Turkey sent a letter to the United Nations secretary-general “explaining that this issue is directly related to the sovereignty of the islands.” He also said that Ankara is prepared to take the issue of the islands’ demilitarization to the International Court in The Hague.

Cavusoglu went on to accuse Greece of “lying” and of claiming 10 miles of airspace when it has 6 miles of territorial waters, and also of being “mistaken about maritime jurisdiction zones.”

“They have started to talk nonsense after our letters and are trying to get the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey,” Cavusoglu said.

“We’re telling Greece that if you think the United States and the EU have your back, we say ‘kalimera’ to wake you up from your slumbers,” he added.