Turkey cuts bridges with Athens – Reflection on immigration and diplomatic drones
Concern in Athens about the prospect of restoring serious channels of communication with Ankara but also a substantial resumption of exploratory contacts as a starting point for dealing with the Greek-Turkish problems, is caused by the escalation of the hostile attitude of the Turkish leadership. Cyprus.
And even at this time when Turkey is showing its “good” face in the international environment by trying to restore relations with regional rival powers such as the UAE, Israel and Egypt or even with this Armenia.
With Greece and Cyprus, not only is such a mood not shown, but on the contrary, there is a constant escalation of rhetoric, but also on the ground, with new demands being made by the companies that Ankara is trying to impose as prerequisites for any dialogue.
With Cyprus, it is now clear to everyone that Turkey is not going to back down from the line it formally presented to the informal Geneva Five for “sovereign equality and equal international status” for the pseudo-state, which is the basis of the position for a solution. of two states. A position that is prohibitive for the resumption of serious talks for the settlement of the Cyprus problem, which as long as it remains a serious obstacle for the overall normalization of Greece’s relations with Turkey but also for Euro-Turkish relations.
However, Turkey has taken care to build a new argument in order to “squeeze”, as it considers, Greece with the demand for the withdrawal of prisoners.
The Turkish leadership’s obsession with demilitarization is not accidental. And the connection he makes – of demilitarization with Greek rule in the islands – something that M. Tsavousoglou repeated yesterday, in addition to the other issues they create, “kills” any opportunity for a resumption of honest and meaningful dialogue in the context of exploratory contacts. Because no Greek government can accept a debate on the ultimate proof of sovereignty, which is to take measures to defend national territory against existing and ongoing threats.
Greece has also excluded defense issues from the jurisdiction of the Hague Tribunal and this is something that Ankara is trying to speculate in order to weaken the Greek position on the referral of the dispute for the delimitation of the continental shelf in The Hague.
It is obvious that Turkey raises the issue of linking Greek sovereignty with demilitarization, in order to “break” the hard Greek position, that there is only one difference between the two countries, the legal difference of the demarcation of the continental shelf. The fact that in recent years it has even indirectly succeeded in discussing with Greece its right to expand territorial waters (as a prerequisite for the continental shelf talks) is not enough for Turkey, which wants to open the agenda by obtaining new negotiating papers. considering at the same time that it exposes Greece by presenting it as a violator of the International Treaties that denies the “obvious”, to discuss with its neighbor “all the problems that exist”.
Indicative of the seriousness of the case is that Athens has not yet officially responded to Turkey’s letter to the UN of September 30, in which it developed all its legal and political arguments on the issue of demilitarization, as the Greek text must be legal. and to give political answers, but without giving the impression of an “indirect dialogue” through the UN.
At the same time, Athens has to face Ankara’s new tactics in immigration as revealed by the last two shipwrecks, the Turkish regime … is “unable” to locate not only the boats that start for the Greek islands but also the large vessels . with dozens of migrants destined either for the coasts of mainland Greece or Italy. This, of course, is a result of the political deterrence that leads to Evros and Greek territorial waters. However, it is clear that the entire Aegean can not be controlled, especially when the Greek authorities have state-backed traffickers against them.
It is, of course, striking that for months now, some NGOs and the Turkish leadership have been accusing Greece of deportations, and every day Turkey circulates photos of migrants who have been allegedly “violently repelled” from Greece and rescued by the “compassionate” Turkish Coast Guard. has given neither an image nor news of the arrests of traffickers or migrants before embarking on their journey from the Turkish coast to the islands. The only successes that the Turkish authorities have had in recent months are the arrests of Turkish opposition members in their attempt to escape to Greece. Quite simply, Turkey is trying to prevent the dangerous passage of the Evros or the Aegean only to those who consider themselves opponents of the regime, while the way is open for everyone else.
A new element has been added to the Athens agenda and this is the “drones factor”. It is not only the use of drones in the Aegean and Evros, but also the economic and strategic advantage that Turkey is seeking to gain through “drone diplomacy” as it did in Nagorno-Karabakh, Libya and is now doing the same in Ukraine. Turkey is rebuilding relations and finding new bridges, offering drones to countries especially Asia and Africa (but also the EU) unable to access other sources, and at the same time securing valuable revenue for its Defense Industry. In the meetings held in Athens, not only the operational confrontation of the drones in a possible field of military confrontation is examined, but also diplomatic moves that will highlight the danger of the dispersal of Turkish drones for security and stability in the wider region.
Diplomatic sources
Turkish officials continue to repeat the same illegal and non-existent causes.
Greece’s position is based on international law, is known and has been emphasized internationally.
As for the accusations of allegedly escalating tensions in the Aegean, the country which, in violation of fundamental principles of international law, threatens Greece with war, blatantly violates international rules, our sovereignty and our sovereign rights, has no right to accuse others of Greece. tension that it causes, as well as for its isolation internationally.
Erdogan’s Foreign Minister described as a “next step” after the “complaints” to the UN about the “militarization” of the Eastern Aegean islands, the questioning of Greek sovereignty over them – Accused Mitsotakis and Dendia of … cultivation intensity – Insists on two states in Cyprus
Provocative against Greece, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu appeared once again, going so far as to question Greek sovereignty over the Aegean islands due to their militarization. “In our relations with Greece we have not shown tolerance for hostile steps,” he said, accusing the Greek government of trying to “escalate” tensions in the region. “We have left no gaps in important issues, including the violations of the demilitarized regime of the Aegean islands, both in diplomacy and in the field. “In this context, in a letter sent to the United Nations, we stated that the violation of the demilitarized regime of the islands will make the issue of sovereignty in them questionable,” Tsavousoglu said provocatively during a press conference, summarizing the results for the Turkish diplomacy. . year that is leaving.
Tsavousoglou attacked Mitsotakis and Dendia, claiming that: “Recently, the attempts of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece to escalate the tension in the Aegean, to damage peace and stability and the extremely dangerous situation. In this matter, our position is clear and our determination is absolute. “
Referring to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Foreign Minister reiterated that Turkey will defend both its own interests and those of the pseudo-state, directly threatening Greece and Cyprus and ignoring any notion of international law and trying to present the country as its “victim”. “In the Eastern Mediterranean, we have resolutely protected the legal rights and interests of our country and the TRNC. Greece and the Greek Cypriot sector have tried seven times to send research vessels from third countries to our continental shelf. “All the obstacles with our diplomatic moves and when necessary with our presence in the field,” he said.
Regarding the resolution of the Cyprus problem, he reiterated Ankara’s firm position for a two-state solution on the island, despite UN resolutions, and referred to the issue of Varos. “We have put in the world news the vision of a solution for Cyprus based on equal sovereignty and the equal international regime of the two states. With the opening of Varosia we shook the stagnant waters. “In the informal talks in Geneva, together with the TRNC, we registered our fair policy,” he commented.