Greek observer Tom Ellis in the Kathimerini newspaper said that one of the reasons for the tension between Turkey and Greece is that the power of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “on the internal front” is weakening amid the escalation of the situation with the Turkish-Greek border.
At a parliamentary speech on Wednesday, Erdogan showed photographs of the situation unfolding on the Greek-Turkish border, and stated that “there is no difference between what the Nazis did and what we see on the border with Greece”. He also called the Greek authorities fascists and barbarians.
“What is so outrageous is that such statements are made by the President of a country that continues to strive for membership in the European Union, while at the same time trying to revive the Ottoman Empire”, – Ellis said.
“But how much longer will the West show tolerance for an authoritarian leader who not only imprisons thousands of his citizens, including journalists, but is not shy about making derogatory references and comparisons that offend the memory of Holocaust victims?” – asked Ellis.
Tensions between Turkey and Greece began to build up after Turkish authorities announced late last month that they would no longer stop migrants trying to travel to Europe. Turkey accused Greece and the European Union of violating human rights and international law after Greece suspended the asylum process and applied violent measures against migrants at the border.
On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the Greek government was violating international law by holding migrants in a secret extra-judicial place before expelling them to Turkey, preventing them from obtaining asylum or talking to a lawyer.