Editorial Ta Nea: Erdogan’s multiple fronts

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in a tight spot.

Despite his efforts to play the role of mediator in the Russo-Ukrainian war, as an interlocutor of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he is trailing behind his opponents in opinion polls regarding the Turkish presidential election, which is to be held in June, 2023, at latest.

For reasons having to do even with his possible implication in a litigation adventure, he does not have the luxury of losing. He must either win or postpone the election.

The tool that authoritarian leaders marshal most frequently in such situations is to invoke “national interests” in order to rally the citizenry around them.

Greece and Cyprus are two of the fronts on which the Turkish president appears prepared to cultivate tensions for domestic consumption in the coming months.

The drill ship “Abdulhamid Han” is currently operating in the area of Turkey’s continental shelf, but one cannot rule out the prospect of it changing course and attempting to drill in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus, thus violating its sovereign rights.

Meanwhile, Erdogan is stepping up his attacks against Greece by disputing international treaties, exploiting the refugee issue, and going as far as to characterise our country as a “safe haven for terrorists”.

For him, of course, the word terrorist is defined as anyone who disagrees with his policies.

The Greek government is carefully monitoring Ankara’s moves.

It is ready to respond to any provocation, but it has no reason to allow itself to be dragged into a competition of aggressiveness.

The Greek government enjoys a prominent position in the European family and utilises it whenever necessary.

It has stable alliances and is not duplicitous in its policies.

It acts on the basis of democratic ideals and international law.

It capitalises on its soft power without ceasing to modernise its defences, and it always remembers that it has been elected by the people to serve the people.

That is the power of democracy.