The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) has called on President Donald Trump to condemn Turkish actions in the eastern Mediterranean which could pose “dire implications to U.S. security interests”.
In a letter to Trump this week, AHI President Nick Larigakis called on the U.S. leader to call out Turkish aggression directed at the U.S., Greece, Cyprus and international oil and gas companies.
Larigakis cites: a Turkish coastguard vessel colliding with a stationary Greek ship; the harassment of Italian oil company ENI’s surveying vessel by Turkish warships; and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s threat of an “Ottoman slap” to U.S. military forces if they continued to back Syrian Kurdish militias.
In addition, Larigakis raised the concern among NATO allies about Turkey’s purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia and how it potentially subjects Turkey to U.S. sanctions.
“Turkey’s aggressive and provocative actions directed at the United States and U.S. allies, Greece and Cyprus, are overt, egregious and dangerous.
“I urge the administration to act to uphold the rule of law and to call on Turkey, the provocateur of these tensions, to cease and desist with its aggressive actions that are a threat to peace and stability and are not in the best interests of the United States,” Larigakis wrote.
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