Turkey on Tuesday said it was “ready to help” Greece out of its escalating financial crisis as its embattled neighbor edged closer to default.
“We are ready to help Greece survive its economic crisis with cooperation in tourism, energy, trade,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in the capital, Ankara.
“We want Greece to be strong… Therefore Turkey will be positive toward any proposal for cooperation,” he said in televised comments.
Davutoglu added that a Turkish delegation would travel to Greece for a high-level cooperation meeting as soon as possible to consider joint steps on the financial crisis.
If no deal is reached, Greece is set to default on an IMF debt payment of about 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) due Tuesday, risking an exit from the eurozone and even the European Union.
On Tuesday Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said Athens will not make the IMF payment.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras asked for Greece’s bailout program be extended for one month to allow a referendum on austerity demanded by Athens’ creditors to be carried out Sunday, but his request was swiftly rejected by eurozone leaders.
Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Monday if an official proposal for financial aid is made by Greece, “we will evaluate it.”
Turkey’s left-wing and Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) also issued a message of solidarity with Greece, saying: “We are together with the Greek people and their government in their struggle for justice, equality and democracy and against austerity.”
“We believe that apart from imposing austerity policies on peoples of Europe, there can be more reasonable agreements, which will be acceptable,” said the co-chairs of HDP, considered the Turkish equivalent of Greece’s ruling SYRIZA party.
11 comments
At time the European Allies let down Greece, past oppressors and actual enemies Turks tend their hand
While I believe it’s a noble thing to have your neighbor when he’s down and out. Turkey is a muslime country and Greece is a Christian country. I believe this will sooner rather than later create an air of conflict between the two countries. Turkey in all likelihood be the aggressor. We had best keep a close watch on this maneuver.
You need to follow the money trail. Who is benefitting from Germany’s wealth? Who is really the wolf in sheep’s clothing, here? Does it matter, really, what religion someone is? I say…the E.U. should remain united and together, they can fight those who are enslaving all of us.
Yeah but Turkey is an evolved muslim country. They separate themselves from the middle east quite distinctly and have become more european in culture. Their government supports the fight against ISIS and terrorism in general. So you have nothing to worry about with this support of aid from the Turks.
Turkey just wants to get their hands on all of Cyprus! Keep the Turks out of Greek business. They may be feeling generous at the moment – but there will be a price to pay. Bet on it!!
No there won’t. Greece and Turkey have been gradually and steadily patching things up since the feuds in the past. And even if Turkey required aid, I’m sure if able, Greece would reciprocate and return the favour.
Lol paranoid much Judy !!
Turkey has never wanted to keep Cyprus or to control the island and is only there due certain things and acts that were being carried out by the Greek military back in 1973-1974 but let’s not go there.
Turkey proposed the solidarity of Cyprus and to let it become a independent entity of its own with neither turkey or Greece controlling it but was refused by Greece 6 years ago
Cyprus actually costs Turkey billions of dollars every year and Turkey has no intentions to take it over completely.
I would suggest perhaps you investigate your information and perhaps try something called research
Turkey is literally salivating at the chance to re-devour Greece, essentially making it a puppet state should the EU choose to abandon it. If Greece allows itself to fall into this trap, it deserves to be nothing more than a Turkish province.
if they leave the euro they do not leave NATO and if turkey choose to be the agresor then the rest of the world will make it pay
We have always been told that it is the Greeks who kept us out of the EU. This is what the Germans and French told us and we believed that. One day (to be precise, after a horrendous earthquake obliterated Northwestern Turkey), Greece and Turkey started patching things up and Greece said, “Bullshit, I am not going to be the scapegoat for not letting Turkey in, we are in favor of Turkey in the EU.” Then we realized who were actually against our entry: The Germans and the French.
Anyway, let me tell you what the sentiment in Turkey is right now. The EU and bunch of banks are bullying an entire nation into accepting austerity plans that will hit the Greek people so hard that it would not be surprising to see suicide rates going up there.
I am all for structural reforms in Greece so that they can base their economy on production as opposed to consumption, but that will take years. I also understand why some austerity measures are required to become more competitive. Until then, however, I and many Turkish people do not want to see Greek people being bullied by some bankers.
I hope the Turkish stream project is finalized and Greece becomes the distribution point in Europe. I wonder if the EU will be as cruel as it is now when its energy needs is dependent on Greek transits.