No concessions should be made to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “without a significant behavior change,” US Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat and chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told in an interview to Kathimerini. 

According to Menendez, Turkey continues to display provocative behavior with regard to “destabilizing actions” in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as over the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, its “support for autocrats in Azerbaijan and its undemocratic treatment of the Turkish people.”

“The US-Greece bilateral relationship has never been stronger, and defense cooperation is a key pillar,” he said.

Menendez expects US President Joe Biden to continue maintaining a firm stance toward Erdogan and believes that the 3+1 partnership between Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States can bring significant benefits to the region.

According to Kathimerini, the senator 'repeatedly expressed his support of Greece’s rights against Turkish challenges in the Aegean and also played a pivotal role in Washington’s recognition of the Armenian genocide.'