With coronavirus getting out of control in Turkey with at least 1,200 dead and at least 57,000 infected, according to the official Turkish government data, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been under a lot of fire for his lackluster handling of the pandemic. While the infection was spreading across Turkey, a pro-Erdoğan television channel was debating whether Turkish genetics could protect the population from the infection, and the Turkish president was orchestrating the invasion of Syria's Idlib province and Greece, while supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya.
The situation is becoming intense in Turkey that serial propagandist Süleyman Soylu, Minister of the Interior of Turkey, who falsely claimed that over 150,000 illegal immigrants crossed into Greece last month, resigned from his position, for it then to be rejected by Erdoğan. Even the most radical Erdoğanist are distancing themselves from the coronavirus crisis in Turkey.
As the pandemic undoubtedly out of control now in Turkey, and journalists and social media users arrested for doubting the true infection rate figures given by the Turkish government, Erdoğan is attempting to distract the population from his own inadequate handling of the pandemic by diverting his people's attentions to Greece by artificially creating a crisis.
Greek Defence Minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, said in an interview with ANT1 that Turkey will make "an attempt for immigrants to enter the islands."
Noting that Ankara seems to have a policy of being provocative on major religious holidays, the Minister of National Defence stressed that "the Armed Forces remain vigilant" and will be during Easter week.
He added that "Turkey is in a difficult position due to the coronavirus."
Regarding the reaction of Greece, Panagiotopoulos said "we will strengthen our forces along the borders. In Evros, the existing fence is strengthened and created in places where it did not exist. At sea, where the effort is more difficult than on land, we are there with the Coast Guard," while he pointed out that "the instructions we give are for deterrence."
Yesterday, it was reported by Greek City Times that Turkey organised a plan to transport the illegal immigrants infected with coronavirus to Greece.
*Image credit: Blue Sky
