Erdogan warns Greece against provocations in Aegean Sea

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Greece against provocations in the Aegean Sea, saying: “Don’t mess with us. We have no quarrel with you in the Aegean.”

“They did some crazy things in the Aegean again. Of course, we also did what was necessary,” Erdogan said at an event in the southeastern Mardin province on Saturday.

His remarks came after Greek planes tried to interfere in a NATO training mission conducted in international airspace over the Aegean Sea.

Greek planes tried to block the mission, the National Defense Ministry said on Saturday, adding that the Turkish Air Force gave them the “necessary response … and the NATO mission was successfully completed.”

The president said he has told officials to “do what is necessary … if Greece continues to act out,” repeating his warning: “We may come suddenly one night.”

Erdogan said Türkiye’s recent ballistic missile test “scares” Athens.

READ MORE: Türkiye says 'necessary response' given to Greek interference in NATO drill

Defence industry

Türkiye test-fired its domestically produced short-range ballistic missile Tayfun (Typhoon) in October. The missile can hit a target at a distance of 561 kilometres (349 miles) in 456 seconds.

Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarised under treaty obligations. It says that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts towards peace.

Turning to the defence industry, Erdogan said Türkiye has a significant amount of exports in the defence sector.

Earlier this week, Turkish defence firm Baykar conducted the maiden flight of its unmanned aerial combat vehicle Kizilelma.

Speaking about the new drone, Erdogan said: “Kizilelma is something different. Hopefully, Kizilelma will be in mass production by 2024 or 2025.” 

Natural gas hub

About Ankara’s moves in the field of energy, Erdogan said Russian President Vladimir Putin views Türkiye as the ideal location for a natural gas hub.

“Putin said Russia can supply gas to Europe via Türkiye, and told us that we can decide the price,” said Erdogan.

“We agreed, and hopefully, it will be named TurkStream.”

Erdogan said Türkiye is also taking steps in the energy sector with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

Energy ministries will conduct preliminary studies before the leaders of three countries get together to draw up a roadmap, he added.

“The arrival of natural gas from Turkmenistan, especially through Azerbaijan, to our country will make us much more comfortable,” Erdogan said.

READ MORE: Why Russia wants Türkiye to be a gas hub for Europe