THESSALONIKI – “If (the Russian President Vladimir) Putin won the war, if he managed to capture a part of Ukraine, Turkey would believe that it might be able to achieve what Putin has achieved,” the former president of the French Republic, Francois Hollande, said late on Thursday during his speech at the Economist’s 2nd Metropolitan Summit, held at the “I. Vellidis” conference centre in Thessaloniki, in collaboration with Power Game.

It was preceded by the greeting of the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who raised the issue of Turkish provocation. Hollande stated that a NATO member country (Turkey) threatening another member country (Greece) with invasion should not be accepted.

The former President of the French Republic added: “Turkey is a member of the NATO, and we cannot accept a NATO member questioning borders that constitute an element of stability in the entire international community. Also, inflation in Turkey has shot up interest rates. So, the dire economic situation in Turkey makes it dependent on Russia. However, pressure must also be put on (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, because his recent statements are very serious and pose a threat to the national sovereignty of Greece,” Hollande said.