Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Greece is a "pawn" used to undermine the country's strategic interests, Ahval reported.

"We know that those who sow unrest in the Aegean Sea at every opportunity with their harassment and rudeness are only pawns," Erdogan said at a military ceremony in Istanbul on Wednesday, referring to Greece.

Erdogan added that "Turkey is also well aware of attempts to undermine the country's interests in the eastern Mediterranean."