Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Greece and received a sharp reply from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a dinner this evening for leaders of 43 states of the newfangled European Political Community, a wider grouping of the EU 27 plus 17  European countries beyond the EU.

The European Political Community was conceived of by French President Emmanuel Macron and today’s summit, the first ever, was in large measure intended to demonstrate European resolve and unity in battling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The summit was held in Prague, which holds the rotating EU presidency, and ways to confront the energy crisis wrought by Russia’s invasion of and war against Ukraine topped the agenda.

Turkey formally remains a candidate for EU membership, and it is the only NATO member-state that has imposed no sanctions against Russia.

According to Greek government sources, as reported by the state-run Athens News Agency, Erdogan in addressing the other leaders accused Greece of being responsible for the escalation of bilateral tensions and provocations.

‘Stop disputing the sovereignty of our islands’

Mitsotakis, according to the same sources, immediately issued a sharp reply, declaring that Erdogan must stop disputing Greece’s sovereignty over its Eastern Aegean islands. He said that instead of provoking tensions, Erdogan should come to an understanding and dialogue with Greece, without tensions and extreme rhetoric, as responsible leaders do.

Erdogan: ‘We have nothing to discuss with Greece’

Turkey’s MTV television channel reported that Erdogan, at a news conference after the dinner, criticised Mitsotakis for responding to his remarks.

“A certain gentleman was annoyed by my remarks. He opposed the protocol [of state dinners]. He came out and gave a speech. He said we used expressions that were harsh toward him. He is not where he should be. Their [Greece’s] policies continue to be based on lies. From now on, we have nothing to discuss with Greece.”

Turkish president reiterates ‘We may come suddenly one night’

According to Reuters, Erdogan said that Greece understands the message sent by Turkey when it says “We may come suddenly one night” – a threat of war as it alludes to a landing and occupation of a Greek Aegean island by the Turkish Armed Forces.

He added that there is nothing to discuss right now with Greece.

Erdogan said the threat applies not only to Greece, but also to any country that attacks Turkey, and that they should know that.

Athens has never raised any claims against Ankara, and it is unclear to what other country or countries he might have been referring, as no state has ever threatened Turkey.

Turkey ‘irreplaceable’, Erdogan seeks to advance EU membership talks

At his press conference, Erdogan proclaimed that Turkey is irreplaceable as regards its role in the challenges confronting the EU and the redefinition of the role of the Union.

Erdogan said that Turkey’s basic and paramount expectation is for the European Political Community to bolster Ankara’s ties with the EU and advance its stalled membership application.

Hopes for an EU-Turkey bilateral dialogue

Erdogan said that Ankara expects the EU to push forward in its relations with Turkey and not succumb to the interests and ambitions of certain countries, an apparent reference to Greece an Cyprus, though many other member-states are not keen on advancing accession talks with Ankara.

In an apparent reference to Greece, the Turkish president said he expects the EU to “invite our interlocutors to engage in a bilateral dialogue instead of supporting illegal initiatives in the name of solidarity in the Union”.

Erdogan thus appears to have linked a prospective dialogue with Greece with the advancement of Ankara’s EU aspirations.

Demand for a two-state solution of the Cyprus Problem

Despite the fact that Ankara’s Blue Motherland geopolitical doctrine claims large swathes of Greece’s maritime jurisdiction for Turkey, Erdogan said that Ankara does not crave for the territory or sovereignty of any country.

“We are struggling only to protect the interests of our country and of the Turkish Cypriots,” he said.

Erdogan said that for Turkey the only possible solution of the Cyprus problem is the de jure international recognition as an independent state of the breakaway regime in the Turkish-occupied north.

Turkey is the only country in the world that recognises the occupied territories as a state.

The US and the EU even recently have flatly rejected the prospect of a two-state solution.

Since its 1974 invasion and occupation of 37 percent of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, which since 2004 has been an EU member-state, Turkey maintains 40,000 troops on the island.

A host of UN Security Council Resolutions since the 1970’s call for the creation of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation on Cyprus, and all UN-sponsored Cyprus settlement talks since then have been held on that basis.

“For a permanent solution, the de facto situation on the island must be recognised,” Erdogan said.