Ankara escalates its aggressive rhetoric – Greece at the centre of the Turkish National Security Council

Turkish media are ramping up anti-Greek rhetoric

The issue of “Greece” will be raised by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at today’s meeting of the Turkish National Security Council, further escalating the aggressive rhetoric and intensifying the pro-war climate against Greece, according to the narrative about “demilitarised” islands.

Turkey’s pro-government media emphasise the importance of today’s meeting, where “the steps taken by Greece that is equipping the Aegean islands with weapons” will be examined in detail, as they report.

It is considered certain that as long as Turkey enters the 2023 presidential election cycle, and the poll results remain unfavourable for President Erdogan, the “targeting” of Greece will intensify, in order to provide electoral benefits from the nationalist pool of voters. It is also no coincidence that almost all the opposition parties are toeing the same extreme line.

From the announcement that will be issued after the end of today’s meeting, conclusions are expected to be drawn about where Ankara is going and how it will affect relations vis a vis Greece over the next period.

Today’s meeting of the National Security Council is dominating the Turkish news. “At the council, the response to the Greek provocations will be evaluated,” reports the Haber Global network, noting: “The moments in which Greek amphibious ships transported American-made armoured vehicles to Mytilini and Samos were recorded by Turkish UAVs. The council will consider the steps to be taken in the international arena in order to have an impact on the provocations of equipping the islands that have a demilitarised status.