Terrorists pose threat to peace, security of Western countries protecting terror groups: Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday that the terrorists are posing threat to the peace and security of the Western countries that are protecting terror groups.

"We expect all countries, especially our neighbors, to take necessary measures against terrorist organizations," Erdoğan said.

"As the nests of terror are destroyed, members of terrorist organizations openly set up camps for themselves in some countries.

"The murderers who shed the blood of our citizens are embraced in almost every country in Europe, particularly in the Lavrion camp in Greece. They can walk around freely by waving their arms," Erdoğan told a meeting in the capital Ankara.

Erdoğan's remarks came a day after a police officer was killed and another injured in a PKK terror attack on a police station in Türkiye's southern Mersin province.

GREECE TENSIONS

About the military buildups in Greece, Erdoğan reiterated that Ankara knows very well the intentions of those who provoked Athens, adding: "The weapons piled up in Western Thrace and on the islands make no sense to us because our power is far beyond them, but we remind you that this means a covert occupation."

Previously, Turkish army drones recorded that Greece, in violation of international law, deployed armored vehicles on the islands of Midilli (Lesvos) and Sisam (Samos).

Erdoğan said Türkiye does not want Aegean and Mediterranean seas "being polluted with human blood, tears, or hostility."

"We want peace and tranquility with all our hearts," he added.

Ankara wants stability and security in the region, Erdogan said, expressing his wish to resolve disputes through dialogue on the basis of international law.

"We never hesitate to defend the interests of our nation and our Turkish Cypriot brothers in the Blue Homeland," he added.