US Senator Robert Menendez takes swipe at Turkey and Erdogan over aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean

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Turkey represents the most “persistent threat” in the Eastern Mediterranean, US Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, told an event at the University of Athens on Friday.

“I expect the United States of America to hold [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan accountable,” he said in a speech after being awarded an honorary doctorate, accusing the Turkish president of seeking “aggression as a diversion from the dire failure of the horrific economic circumstances that afflict the Turkish people.”

“Despite its status as a NATO ally, Turkey challenges Greek sovereignty with provocative overflights in the Aegean Sea. Violating airspace with fighter jets is simply unacceptable behavior from any country. It is certainly unacceptable behavior from a NATO country,” said the US senator, one of the key forces behind bipartisan legislation boosting support for Greek-US military cooperation.

Menendez also referred to the continued Turkish occupation in the north of Cyprus as a “terrible stain on the history of Europe that must be resolved,” while accusing Erdogan of “bombast” during last year’s partial reopening of the fenced-off suburb of Famagusta in Turkish-occupied Varosha.

The Turkish president’s celebratory stance was “just another reminder that he is not seriously interested in finding a tenable path forward,” Menendez said.

The US senator also took a swipe at Turkey over its relationship with Russia, accusing the government in Moscow of seeking to “secure military access to the Mediterranean as a means to threaten Europe’s southern flank.”

“We must, we must not let that happen,” Menendez stressed.

“We must work together to ensure that he knows that the United States and the countries that value territorial integrity and freedom will stand with Greece and our allies,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US Senator Bob Menendez receives honorary doctorate at University of Athens ceremony