ATHENS – I have a picture in my mind when the Greek and Turkish rescuers find the 7-year-old girl alive. This kind of thing builds bridges between our countries, stated the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in an interview with the CNN television channel.
Bridges are needed, because the neighborly relations between NATO allies Greece and Turkey have been frozen. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has intensified Greek provocation during the Turkish parliamentary and presidential elections.
Greece was still among the first to send rescuers in a neighboring country (you switch to another service). Ordinary Greeks have contributed to the collection of emergency aid.
With the earthquake, the presidents of Turkey and Greece were also able to talk for a while, after about a year of silence. Mitsotakis called Erdoğan to express the Greek government’s deep sorrow and readiness for additional assistance.
The visit to the disaster area brought the foreign ministers closer Nikos Dendias and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu even for a warm hug.
Greece and Turkey have helped each other in earthquakes since 1999, but under Erdoğan it has not led to lasting changes in relations.
In this article, we will go through the tensions between Greece and Turkey.
Turkey’s fighter jet deals stalled
A senior researcher interviewed by Panayotis Tsakonas Eliamepi, the Greek European and Foreign Policy Foundation, says that one of the cornerstones for Turkey is its F-16 fighter jet purchases.
Turkey sees Mitsotakis as sabotaging its deals when it urged the US Congress last spring to carefully consider arms sales to countries that create instability in the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece itself is pulling an F-35 fighter jet order, for which the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez is has shown the green light (you switch to another service).
Greece has also bought Rafale planes from France and has modernized F-16 fighters, the number of which will reach 83 in the next few years.
– The equipment imbalance that previously prevailed in the air in favor of Turkey has now been evened out, summarizes Panayotis Tsakonas.
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The threat of war over the extension of territorial waters in the Aegean Sea
Turkey is threatened Greece with military action (you move to another service)if the neighbor were to expand its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea from the current six nautical miles to twelve.
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Greece has the right to an extension. Agreeing on maritime boundaries is complicated by the fact that Turkey has not signed the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
If Greece were to expand to 12 nautical miles, its share in the Aegean Sea would increase from the current 35 percent to 64 percent. The share of international territorial waters would decrease from 56 percent to 26 percent.
That would be an impossible idea for Turkey.
Turkey has raised the old question again because the American company ExxonMobil is looking On the south-west side of Crete (you will switch to another service) gas in cooperation with Greece. Performances are predicted to be promising.
– Turkey sees that it has the right to utilize natural resources in the south and east of Crete based on the maritime border agreement with Libya and Turkey’s Blue Fatherland plan, says Panayotis Tsakonas.
Greece should not defend its Aegean islands
Turkey claims that Greece is militarizing the eastern Aegean islands contrary to the Lausanne and Paris peace agreements (you will switch to another service).
Greece replies that Turkey cannot invoke the Paris Peace Agreement because it is not a party to it.
Under the Lausanne Treaty, demilitarization only applies to Ikaria, Chios, Lesbos and Samos. They are armed, but according to Greece, because Turkey has its own troops on the opposite shore.
In response, Turkey announces that the Greek troops are a threat to Turkey and it has hinted at “coming suddenly at night” to the islands if they are not disarmed.
At the same time, Turkey questions Greece’s sovereignty over the islands. According to Greece, sovereignty has not been linked to demilitarization in any agreement.
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Analysis: Greece is used to living under the threat of war declared by NATO partner Turkey, but now the neighbor’s provocation has already gone too far
Turkey accepts human smuggling
Greece reminds that Turkey has not adhered to the refugee agreement between the EU and Turkey. Turkey is still letting migrant boats go.
Accidents in the Aegean Sea have lost children this month as well (you will switch to another service).
According to Greece, the Turkish Coast Guard even cooperates with people smugglers. The danger of conflict often lurks in rescue operations, as the Turkish coast guard interferes in Greece’s maritime rescue zone.
Finding legal migration routes is indeed important for Greece. The country supported the strengthening of border control at the EU summit.
At the land border with Turkey in Evros, the Greek government has tightened controls after Turkey used migrants to a hybrid attack (you switch to another service) in 2020. Greece has also announced that it will extend fence at the border (you switch to another service).
The earthquake in Turkey may now create new pressure if the refugee movement expands towards Europe.
You can discuss the topic until 23:00 on 15.2.