Greece is not important in NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday in response to Athens’ recent moves and negative statements against Ankara within the bloc.
”NATO is strong if Türkiye is present; NATO is not strong without Türkiye,” he told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.
Greece’s negative statements to NATO about Türkiye cannot harm ties between Ankara and the alliance, Erdoğan underlined.
”Greece’s negative approach to NATO does not weaken Türkiye-NATO relations,” he added.
Greece recently forced NATO to remove a message congratulating Türkiye’s Victory Day on Aug. 30.
The holiday commemorates the decisive victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, the last battle in the Turkish War of Independence, on Aug. 30, 1922. Following the battle, the Greek presence after World War I in Anatolia ended. Victory Day has been celebrated as an official holiday since 1926 and was first celebrated on Aug. 30, 1923. Läs artikel