Greece Irked Over Turkey’s Latest Tactics

Relations between Greece and Turkey are once again on the brink after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan “remembered” on Thursday to bring the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne into question saying that in effect the peace deal signed almost a century ago “gave away” islands to Greece.

The Greek foreign ministry reacted over the weekend with a statement saying Turkey was endangering ties between the two countries which are also NATO allies, accusing Turkey leadership of “revisionist fervor”.

“We gave away islands to Greece that we could reach with a shout in Lausanne. Is this victory? They tried to trick us into believing that Lausanne was a victory,” Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara on Thursday, creating yet again controversy and hype after a series of political games including a coup in July, his attacks on the EU, and threats to call off a deal it signed earlier this year to take responsibility for the thousands of refugees flocking to Greece through Turkey.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has made no statement with Reuters reporting that his office said “questioning the Treaty of Lausanne, which established norms in Greco-Turkish relations (and) the status quo in the Aegean and its islands, is dangerous to relations between the two countries and to the broader region”.