Andreas Loverdos stated that he does not consider it likely that Greek-Turkish crisis is likely, though he did not rule out a pre-election move by Erdoğan.

Andreas Loverdos, a member of New Democracy and a former minister, speaking to OPEN, stated that he does not consider it likely that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would provoke a crisis with Greece for pre-election reasons, while making it clear, however, that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

The “calm waters” and the Israel factor

As he pointed out, “I don’t see it as likely, but I can’t rule it out at all.” He added that we are in the final stages of calm waters, noting that the current situation in Greek-Turkish relations is not the same as it was last year.

Andreas Loverdos also argued that Erdoğan “is afraid of Israel” and, consequently, takes Greece’s strategic relationship with Israel and Cyprus, a fact which, as he said, makes Greece a difficult opponent.

In conclusion, he emphasized that, despite the current situation, no one can rule out what options the Turkish president, should he decide to lead his country into early elections in the near future.