86135 - Transcription: The Turkish Foreign Minister out of context with the US

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Athina Kehagias

When we hear the Turkish foreign minister’s statements, we understand that Turkey is incompetent at the level of diplomacy. Things are very simple. When you want to get F-16s, you cannot simultaneously swear at the Americans and say that their policy in relation to Israel is unacceptable, and that what they are doing in relation to the Kurdish issue is unacceptable, because they do not expect something of the sort, when you want to enter into actual negotiations. Turkey most of all wants to show that she has the upper hand in this relationship, that she can apply pressure and that things are easy on her side. Let’s not forget that America is also unhappy about the Swedish issue in relation to Turkey. Consequently, if we place them together, Sweden, Turkey, in relation to the context of accession, if we put together Turkey and the Ukrainian issue, Turkey and the issue we are facing in Israel, we understand that America is not at all ready to start real negotiations with Turkey and on the contrary is waiting for a change of attitude which ought to be serious and would be consistent in relation to the NATO context. But what we see from Turkey’s side is that the foreign minister is completely out of context and insists merely in order to be heard by the Turks, but not from the Americans.