Turkiye’s Erdogan rejects Greek PM’s label of Hamas as ‘terror’ group

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) hold a joint press conference after their meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye on 13 May, 2024 [Mehmet Ali Özcan/Anadolu Agency]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected statements by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in which he described the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

“I do not see Hamas as a terror group,” Erdogan said during a joint news conference in Ankara following a two-hour meeting between the officials.

“I see it as a group of people trying to protect their own land which has been occupied since 1947.”

He also revealed that Turkiye is treating “more than 1,000 Hamas members” in its hospitals.

“Let’s agree to disagree,” Mitsotakis said in response.

READ: Will do our best for eternal peace, stability in Turkish-Greek relations, says Turkish president

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