Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended Hamas on Monday, reportedly claiming that more than 1,000 members of the terror group in Gaza were being treated in hospitals in NATO member states.
At a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan disputed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ classification of Hamas as a “terrorist organization.”
“If you call Hamas a ‘terrorist organization’, that will sadden us,” Erdogan said, according to Reuters.
“We do not consider Hamas a terrorist organization,” he was quoted as saying. “More than 1,000 Hamas members are being treated in hospitals across the country.”
The press conference was held after a two-hour face-to-face meeting with the Greek Prime Minister.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a recent press conference in Ankara that he does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization. (SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images)
“I don’t see Hamas as a terrorist group,” Erdogan said at a press conference, according to the Associated Press. “I see it as a group of people trying to protect their land.”
Greece, like most Western countries, views Hamas as a terrorist organization, although Erdogan has repeatedly referred to it as a “resistance organization.” The leaders’ meeting was the fourth in the past year, aimed at strengthening the normalization process.
A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later told Reuters that Erdogan meant to refer to Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, not to members of Hamas.
“President Erdogan made a gaffe. He meant 1,000 Gazans were being treated, not Hamas members,” the official was quoted as saying.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, May 13, 2024. (Yavuz Ozden/dia Image via Getty Images)
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In November, the Turkish government announced plans to evacuate some injured and sick Gazans, mainly cancer patients, as well as Turkish nationals, Turkish Cypriots, and their relatives.
NATO members Turkey and Greece have been at odds for decades over a series of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and drilling rights in the Mediterranean Sea, and have been brought to the brink of war three times in recent years. century. A dispute over energy exploration rights in 2020 led to warships from both countries facing off in the Mediterranean Sea.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (right) issues a statement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after a meeting at the Maximos residence in Athens, Greece, Thursday, December 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Balaclas, File)
The two companies agreed in December to put aside the dispute and focus on areas where they can reach agreement. The list of so-called positive agenda items includes trade, energy, education and cultural ties. Since the summit in Athens, the region’s rivals have regularly made high-level calls to further efforts to mend fences, such as allowing Turkish citizens to visit 10 Greek islands without cumbersome visa procedures. maintain contact with.
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Mitsotakis emphasized the ties between the two countries, saying the agreement would allow Turks and Greeks to “get to know each other, which is an important step.” Similarly, President Erdoğan called the Turkish Muslim minority in Greece’s Thrace region a “bridge of friendship between the two communities.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
