Turkish President Says Western Politics Cannot Be Trusted

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the West on Sunday during a meeting with young Turks in the city of Van, saying that he cannot be trusted in his policy. As an example, he returned to the issue of US military bases in Greece.

"When we ask [Athens] for what purpose these bases were established, they tell us that it is against Russia. But what has it done against Russia for Ukraine? Has it been able to stand by Ukraine, has it been able to support to Ukraine? It's all a lie. The West cannot be trusted, especially when it comes to its policies," the president was quoted as saying by Anadolu news agency.

However, he stressed that Ankara cooperates with Western countries in fields such as culture or science. "But you cannot trust Western policy," he reiterated, recalling that the European Union is not taking steps on the country's accession to the bloc, although Turkey has remained a candidate since 1999.

During his speech this Sunday, the Turkish president also announced that he will hold negotiations the following week with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to address the issue of establishing a safe corridor for the export of Ukrainian wheat.
Tensions with Greece on the rise

This Wednesday, Erdogan questioned that Washington's military installations in the Hellenic country are directed against Russia. "We don't believe it," he pointed out. A day later he urged Athens to stop militarizing the islands east of the Aegean Sea.

The new wave of tensions gained strength after Erdogan's repeated criticism of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Another episode that reflects the current worsening of relations occurred when Greece denounced violations of its airspace by Turkish military aircraft, while Ankara dismissed the accusations as unfounded.

    Turkey and Greece, both members of NATO, have been on the verge of starting a military conflict on several occasions due to territorial disputes over the islands in the Aegean Sea, limits of territorial waters and airspace.