Greek–Turkish relations

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reiterated Ankara's revisionist agenda on Thursday regarding the status of the Aegean in an interview with the widely circulated nationalist Sozcu newspaper.

The Turkish economy is hanging on by a thin thread and, for the first time, the policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are being openly questioned. Turkey's intervention in Syria and Libya is not turning out well for the country's interests. The coronavirus is undermining public trust in the government.

Greek forces are on high alert to prevent a repeat of the standoff on the Evros border earlier this year when Turkey opened the doors for migrants to travel to the European Union, Kathimerini understands.

Greek authorities have found out that numerous migrants in Turkey have been concentrating in the country's western seaside towns, as if ready to cross into neighboring Greece's islands in the Aegean Sea.

Nearly 70 Turkish nationals aboard a Greek cruise ship have been tested positive for COVID-19 and taken under treatment in the vessel off Greece's coast, Burak Özügergin, Turkish ambassador in Athens, told Hürriyet Daily News on April 5.

A Greek ship that set off from the Çeşme district of the western İzmir province in Turkey on March 7 and on which 120 out of 383 people have been tested positive for COVID-19 is still waiting on the shores of the Greek city of Piraeus.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Turkish authorities on Friday evacuated hundreds of migrants from Turkey's land border with Greece. 

The migrants were among an estimated 10,000 that had gathered at the border hoping to cross into Greece and Europe after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government had said last month it would not prevent them from leaving.

Since the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has avoided developing a long-term strategy to help or integrate these refugees in Turkey. Instead, he has used them as bargaining chips with the European Union. In his latest attempt to weaponize these refugees, Erdogan is no longer halting their attempts to reach Europe.

Clashes broke out on Greece's border with Turkey before dawn Wednesday, after about 500 migrants attempted to break down a border fence and enter Greece.

Greek police said they used tear gas to repel the push south of the Kastanies border crossing. They said Turkish authorities also fired tear gas at the Greek border. The clashes began at 2 a.m. and lasted for roughly two hours.

The intense Turkish military presence in the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus is proof that Turkey has emerged as a critical player on the international scene, according to its defense minister, Hulusi Akar.

In comments translated into Greek, Akar added that Turkey owes this position in the international arena to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.