UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT, ADDS BACKGROUND
By Diyar Guldogan
ANKARA (AA) – Greece's negative statements to NATO about Türkiye cannot harm ties between Ankara and the alliance, the Turkish president said on Friday.
"Greece's negative approach to NATO (about Ankara) does not weaken Türkiye-NATO relations," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.
Greece "has no value" in NATO, he said, adding the alliance is strong with Türkiye.
Erdogan's remarks came after NATO’s land command LANDCOM on Tuesday tweeted a post to mark Türkiye's 100th Victory Day, which commemorates the resounding defeat of the occupying Greek armies at the hands of Turks in the Battle of Dumlupinar in 1922, and deleted it after Greece lodged a complaint with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
LANDCOM on Thursday tweeted a new post to congratulate Türkiye on the occasion of the Victory Day, saying: "We are thankful to have Türkiye as our host nation."
Erdogan said NATO "maneuvered," and they later stated that together with Türkiye they are strong.