Turkish President threatens to “throw Greeks into the sea”January 8, 2019 - 15:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his recent spate of hostile rhetoric against the Greek people by threatening to throw them into the sea. The remarks were made during a speech he gave in Smyrna (Izmir) on Saturday, January 5, Greek Reporter reveals. Erdogan quoted a Turkish song where he repeated the line, “I’ll throw the Greeks into the sea.” The line is part of a verse from a Turkish folk song which was written during the years of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Erdogan in all likelihood repeated the line in front of his audience in the Saturday speech in an effort to score political points ahead of the Turkish municipal elections in March. Smyrna is a traditional stronghold of the opposition, and the Turkish president is hoping to gain their votes, using an extreme, nationalistic approach. In the song, Greeks are described as wicked and “foxes”, while the Turks are referred to as “lions”. Other lyrics of the song include the lines “The wretched Greek cannot achieve his purposes. They say do not pass. I’ll go to Smyrna, I’ll throw the Greeks into the sea.” Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Fly Arna license suspended, says Armenia official The license of the Armenian airline Fly Arna has been suspended for six months, an official says. President stresses Armenia’s clear position to achieve peace On the eve of the International Francophonie Day, the Armenian President met with French intellectuals. Termination of servicing of MIR cards. IDBank It will not be possible to ensure the full operation of MIR cards in IDBank’s POS-terminals and ATMs Pashinian meets border villagers on possible land transfer to Azerbaijan Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with concerned residents of two villages in Armenia’s northern Tavush province. |