Netanyahu says Turkey becoming ‘undemocratic,’ calls Erdogan ‘reckless’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the foreign ministers of Greece and Cyprus last month that he’s deeply pessimistic about Turkey’s future and believes its economy is destined for further decline.

“Turkey is becoming undemocratic,” Netanyahu said, according to a Channel 10 report today that cited Israeli officials familiar with the September meeting.

“Erdogan calls me ‘Hitler’ every two weeks. It’s a systemic problem – I don’t see light at the end of the tunnel,” the prime minister is reported to have said about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Erdogan is making economic decisions that make no sense. The situation there is getting worse. Turkey wanted to advance reconciliation with Israel two years ago because of the situation in Syria. Now [after the removal of the Israeli ambassador in Ankara] there isn’t even intelligence cooperation with Turkey on Syria.”

Netanyahu warns the Greek and Cypriot officials that Erdogan may act against their natural gas drilling operations in the Mediterranean, according to the report. “Erdogan is unpredictable and reckless. We’re worried and watching to see if he does something in the region [about the gas] … I’m pessimistic. It’s an oxymoron that a member of NATO has [Russian] S-400 missiles. I’m worried about them having F-35 planes.”