Erdogan: Mitsotakis ‘provokes me’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan got personal on Wednesday with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accusing the Greek prime minister of provoking him, urging him to know his limits and making barely veiled threats of war.

Mitsotakis, given a chance to respond in an interview on Wednesday evening with Kathimerini Executive Editor Alexis Papachelas on Skai TV, refrained from responding in kind, saying Erdogan's "rhetorical flourishes" were geared to a domestic audience.

Nonetheless, Mitsotakis said, Erdogan's salvo would adversely affect any chances of a meeting between the two.

Erdogan's attack took place in a speech to the parliamentary group of his Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"I made a statement that we can meet with Mitsotakis. I made this statement and I saw Mitsotakis is provoking me," said Erdogan, who had made the statement following the...