An outspoken aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lambasted Greece, saying any conflict over the Aegean would be like “a fly picking a fight with a giant”.
Yigit Bulut made the comment on Turkish television as tensions between Greece and Turkey worsened over a series of incidents in the Aegean Sea and repeated incursions by Turkish aircraft and ships into Greek territory.
Greece has already summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Athens over the ramming of a Greek coastguard vessel by a Turkish ship late on Monday night.
The U.S. has also got involved, calling for de-escalation between the two NATO allies.
It is not the first time Bulut — a former journalist and economic adviser — has hit out at Greece.
Last month, in an implicit threat to Greek officials from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras downwards, Bulut — who in 2013 claimed foreign powers were trying to kill Erdogan through telekinesis — also told Turkish state broadcaster TRT that anyone who landed on Imia would face Turkey’s wrath “worse than in Afrin”.
The outburst came just days after Turkish media claimed a wreath-laying ceremony at Imia by Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos had been blocked.
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