OPINION POLL: Turkish people defy Erdogan propaganda; do not see Greeks as their enemies

A recent opinion poll in Turkey showed up surprising results, with more than 60% of respondents claiming they do not consider Greece an enemy country; a surprising result given the onslaught of Turkish government propaganda that has sought to cultivate the opposite sentiment.

Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis also referred to the opinion poll during a media interview on Wednesday on a Piraeus municipal radio station.

Varvitsiotis noted that despite the rhetoric by the Erdogan government to paint Greece as a threat, it appears the Turkish people have not fallen for it.

"Turkish public opinion appears not to espouse the war cries of Erdogan and the political leadership," he added, noting that Turkey was not a steadfast ally of the West but a country that "cherry-picked" within the Western Alliance without sharing "our democratic values".

While Turkish provocativeness has intensified on many levels, it has met with the appropriate reply, Varvitsiotis.

"The replies come first and foremost from the prime minister himself, who spoke using very stern terms at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) the other day," he pointed out, "but also through the replies we give at every opportunity and on every level against Turkish claims."