Androulakis: NATO's policy of "equal distances" gives an alibi to Erdoğan

Opposition PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis has blasted NATO's "policy of equal distance" as it gives an "alibi" to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In his intervention to the European Parliament on Wednesday, the opposition said that "2022 proved that the appeasing policy does not function against revisionist leaders that do not respect the international law."

He stressed that Europe should move immediately to the necessary defence union in order to be able to adequately protect its citizens.

"While we are experiencing the repercussions from Putin's illegal invasion to Ukraine, the European leadership remains idle to the constant and escalating Turkish provocations against Greece and Cyprus," Androulakis underlined.

The PASOK leader pointed out Greece will "steadily defend its national sovereignty but the policy of equal distances, especially from NATO, gives an alibi to Erdoğan."

He concluded his intervention underlining that not a single bullet, let alone fighter jets and aircraft carriers should be sold to a country that is threatening the peace in the Southeastern Mediterranean.

Erdoğan recently blasted the Greek Government with a warning over Turkey's new long-range ballistic missile. In a speech to voters in the northern city of Sampsounta (Σαμψούντα, Turkish: Samsun), the Turkish leader threatened to turn the Tayfun missile on Athens.

The Turkish president told supporters: "You say Tayfun, the Greek is scared. He says it will hit Athens. Of course, it will.

"If you don’t keep calm, if you buy stuff from America for the islands, from here and there, a country like Turkey will not sit idly by. It has to do something."

Ankara test-fired the Turkish military's latest ballistic missile codenamed Tayfun or Typhoon in October.

The surface-to-surface guided missile has a range of up to 500km meaning the weapon is able to reach Athens.

Footage of the secret missile launch was leaked to Turkish media despite Ankara's desire to keep the military project under wraps.

READ MORE: Biden Administration Wants To Sell Turkey F-16s And Greece F-35s.