Turkey Openly Threatens to Occupy Greece's Aegean Islands

In a major escalation of aggressive rhetoric by Ankara, Turkish Vice-President signaled on Saturday that the Erdogan government has set its eyes on taking over the Greek islands close to Turkey.
Fuat Oktay said that his compatriots cry their hearts out every morning when they wake up to the sight of Greek islands, such as Oinouses, Kastellorizo and Chios.
Holding a map of the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean, Oktay told viewers: “Think about Sakiz [Chios]. Just one kilometer away from the Turkish coast. Where is Athens? [too far from the island]”
“Look where is Meis [Kastellorizo],” he continued. It’s just two kilometers from the [Turkish city of] Kas. Don’t my citizens in Kas see this? Every morning when they wake up they cry their heart out.”
The Turkish Vice-President warned that Turkey will not allow this to continue: “We will tear up this map and we will tear up those who think of this map. We will crush them when necessary,” he added.
He also threatened Greece with war if it expands it’s territorial waters to 12 nautical miles in the Aegean. “If Athens’ attempts to expand its territorial waters isn’t a cause of war, then what is?”
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the Turkish official’s delirium .
“Turkey’s unprecedented belief that it can threaten neighboring countries with the use of force when they exercise their legal rights is contrary to contemporary political culture and also the fundamental provisions of international law,” the foreign ministry said in an announcement.

Turkish deputy President Fuat Oktay signals #Erdogan gov't set its eyes on taking over the #Greece islands close to #Turkey.

He pushes dangerous talking point by saying Turks cry their hearts out every morning when they wake up to the sight of Greek islands pic.twitter.com/s9HPCeld11

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) August 29, 2020