ANKARA – Repeating claims – without proof – that Greek fighter jets tried to interfere with Turkish jets on a NATO exercise, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said it showed that showed “Athens has become so arrogant that it ignores the basic principles of the alliance.”

He spoke during a meeting with the defense ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia in central Turkey without mentioning that it’s Turkey undermining NATO by purchasing Russian S-400 missile defenses that could also be used against Greece in a conflict.

For months he and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been demanding Greece remove troops off Aegean islands near Turkey’s coast while warning of an invasion and claiming waters around Greek islands for energy research.

“Greece continues its expansionist and hostile policies and its provocative rhetoric and actions that fuel instability, at a time when Turkey is making efforts for peace and stability,” contradicting his own threats.