Does Turkey truly want to attack Greece militarily, or simply to drag it into a comprehensive negotiation based on its demands from a position of power, after a controllable military clash?
'The circles encouraging Greece to deploy arms on islands with a demilitarised status have been urged to come to their senses, the MSG statement said, in a thinly veiled reference to the US.
Mitsotakis addressed the Turkish people directly, highlighting the importance of peace and harmonious co-existence, so that his message would reach Turkish society unfiltered, through the social media.
Mitsotakis said that Athens will unswervingly defend its red lines against Turkish revisionism and threats against the territorial integrity of Greece’s Aegean islands, which Turkey has persistently been challenging.
Ankara has repeatedly been criticised by international players over policies that aim at the violation of Greece’s sovereign rights, most notably over its islands.
In terms of efforts to commit Turkey to a specific framework for dialogue, it is mandatory that we not squander opportunities when they arise.
During separate visits to Athens, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna denounced Turkish violations and the climate of instability that they create.
Turkey is dangerously escalating tensions, its aggressive rhetoric is spinning out of control, and it behaves as if it is preparing military operations against Greece.
Ironically, the article is entirely self-contradictory as it offers quotes of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that amount to a clear threat of a declaration of war against Greece.
There has been a record number of of Turkish violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters so far this year, and Ankara’s lays claim, counter to international law, to dozens Greek islands and islets.
Athens must prepare for the prospect of Ankara broadening its alliances and of Erdogan being re-elected to yet another five-year term, as even if he loses, Turkey’s policy toward Greece will not change radically.
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”.
The Greek side is obliged to be, as it is, in a constant state of readiness, and to combine a clear and fine line of composure with a firm demonstration of decisiveness.
The overarching aim of sending the “Abdulhamid Han” for natural gas and oil exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean is to forcefully assert the Turkish dogma of the “Blue Homeland”.
Erdogan believes that he can achieve his ambitions by blackmailing NATO, invading Syria, threatening Greece, and sending drill ships to the Mediterranean, but he is making a serious mistake.
Even if the international community would not tolerate a Turkish provocation in the Eastern Mediterranean, given the current confluence of events, we should not remain complacent.
For years, Ali Babacan was the moderate, European-oriented face of Turkey, serving as Ankara’s chief negotiator in the country’s EU accession talks.
In this fluid political terrain, it is important for Greece to maintain clear judgment and calm and make strategic choices, monitoring changes without compromising its values.
In line with the decades-long US position, the State Department urged the two NATO allies, Greece and Turkey, to resolve their disputes diplomatically, and to avoid inflammatory rhetoric.
Over the years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly made the hand sign of the ultra-nationalist, neo-fascist, and Islamist ‘Grey Wolves’.
Ankara believes that the Turkish nation is suffocating within the borders of the state and that it now has the power and means to expand its sphere of influence.
Erdogan believes that the leaders of Sweden and Finland can “commit themselves” to extradite Kurdish and Turkish expats granted asylum whom he accuses of terrorism.
The general consensus among observers was that Biden had offered assurances that he will try to push the sale of 40 F-16s to Turkey through Congress.
Erdogan clearly indicated that he got what he wanted from the deal regarding Sweden and Finland, and that declared he would leave the summit with his 'hands full'.
Athens is focused on whether Erdogan will table his demands for the demilitarisation of Greek Eastern Aegean islands at the ongoing NATO summit.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said today that President Joe Biden “may well” meet with the Turkish president on the margins of tomorrow's NATO summit.
'There are the exploratory talks that we would like to complete. There are confidence-building-measures and meetings in the NATO framework,” Turkey's defence minister said.
Katerina Sakellaropoulou stressed that Greece has approved imposing all EU and NATO sanctions packages against Russia, and Turkey has imposed none.
'Greece has proven that it is ready to defend its sovereignty and its sovereign rights,' Mitsotakis said during remarks at a health conference today.
Turkey is a dangerous, revisionist power, and it is not just Erdogan. The country’s entire political establishment espouses the same aggressive claims against Greece.
The characteristics of the current phase in Greek-Turkish relations is hardly unfamiliar to Greece, as it is part of a diachronic blame game.
'We encourage our NATO Allies, including Greece and Turkey, to work together to maintain peace and security in the region and resolve differences diplomatically.'
Ankara is maintaining tensions, fully confirming what Greece has told the EU and the US regarding Turkey’s violations and its revisionist geopolitical posture.
Turkey's autocratic leader is an exponent of contemporary revisionism and cannot understand that Ankara cannot have its cake and eat it.
It has been apparent for some time now that the 'new sultan' of Ankara, in his effort to divert the attention of Turkish citizens from the continually worsening economic situation, has adopted a two-pronged approach to foreign policy.
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