Turkey’s main opposition leader said on Saturday that Greece represents “the greatest possibility” of war facing his country, tying that prospect to the arming of Greek islands in the Aegean and drawing sharp criticism across Greek media.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), made the remarks while discussing Turkey’s political outlook and the next elections. He invoked former prime minister Bulent Ecevit, arguing that under his leadership a conflict with Greece would have been a real possibility.
“The greatest possibility is Greece — that is, over the arming of the islands,” Kilicdaroglu was quoted as saying. “Under normal circumstances there does not appear to be such a possibility. But if it were Ecevit, there would be such a possibility.”
Kilicdaroglu revives war talk over Greece and the Aegean islands
Kilicdaroglu repeated the long-standing Turkish claim that Athens does not honor international treaties, and said Turkey could demand the demilitarization of the Aegean islands, even setting a deadline for Greek forces to leave.
“By such-and-such a date, empty them — otherwise I will come and empty them. It’s that simple. No one can ignore Turkey to such a degree,” he was quoted as saying. “It will keep arming the Aegean, and units will keep going there.”
He also questioned the American military presence in Alexandroupoli, the northeastern Greek port where US troops are stationed.
“Why did the Americans come and set up in Alexandroupoli?” he asked, suggesting the deployment could relate to the Turkish Straits, to alternative supply routes or to an effort “to weaken Turkey.”
A hard line from Turkey’s opposition amid an internal struggle
The comments came amid turmoil inside the CHP. In May, a court ruling removed the party’s elected leader, Ozgur Ozel, over alleged irregularities in a previous congress and returned Kilicdaroglu, who had lost a presidential election to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to the leadership. Ozel’s supporters called the move a “political coup,” and critics have accused Kilicdaroglu of serving the ruling party’s interests.
Kilicdaroglu predicted that Erdogan, citing low ratings, was unlikely to seek re-election, but warned that much could change before the vote. “I do not know — a war could break out, there could be completely different developments,” he said.
The remarks fit a pattern of Turkish officials and politicians questioning Greek sovereignty over the eastern Aegean islands, which Greece has long rejected. The Greek side notes that both Greece and the United States are NATO allies, and that casting Greece as Turkey’s likeliest adversary ignores that alliance. Opinion surveys have previously suggested that many Turks regard tension with Greece as a pre-election ploy.
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