Turkish NBA star Enes Kanter harshly criticised Recep Tayyip Erdogan while expressing his thanks to the Greek public in an interview on the Greek channel Open TV.
Kanter, who has been repeatedly targeted by Turkish president Erdogan’s propaganda machine as one of the biggest opponents of the country abroad, and dubbed as a supporter of a prominent Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen who is self-exiled in the US, commented on the ongoing crisis in the Greek-Turkish relations due to Erdogan’s belligerent policies in the region.
“I believe that Erdogan does not respect the airspace and sea of Greece or neighboring countries. Throughout the summer, the Turkish government has been doing improper oil and gas searches in the Mediterranean in Greek territory,” Kader said, adding: “We have seen Erdogan regime’s threatening aggression towards Greece and Cyprus.”
Kanter underlined that Erdogan must be stopped because he did not respect international law. The Celtics centre spoke about the recent conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, talking about a lack of respect for human rights. “It does not show respect for international law and human rights. 3-4 months ago, I think it was he who turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This shows a complete lack of respect for other religions, for other cultures,” he said, sending a message to Greeks: “My message to all Greeks and the Greek government is summed up in a big thank you. Thank you for accepting all the Turkish refugees in your country that suffered.”
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