Greek politicians are treading carefully where their comments are concerned regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s victory in a referendum on Sunday, which granted him sweeping new powers.
According to a report by Kathimerini, speaking on behalf of SYRIZA, Vice President of European Parliament Dimitris Papadimoulis said that the referendum showcased how divided the Turkish nation really is, and described the result as a disputed victory by Erdogan.
Giorgos Koumountsakos, New Democracy’s spokesman took the opportunity to state Greece’s position in seeking friendly relations with its neighbour and urged the people of Turkey to handle the result wisely.
Meanwhile, Andreas Loverdos who spoke on behalf of the Democratic Alignment, expressed concern over the future of EU-Turkish relations given Erdogan’s new powers.
Greek publication To Potami also commented on the result with a statement encouraging the Turkish leader to pursue peace and stability, rather than turning to autocratic forms of government.
Following a fierce campaign, President Erdogan reportedly won 51.4 per cent of the vote in the historic referendum, which will see the prime minister’s post abolished and power concentrated in the presidency.