The “cessation of tension” in Greek-Turkish relations and where the picture was “frozen”

The pause button was pressed, and the image of Greek-Turkish relations “froze.” It would be good to see what that image is, because When Erdogan and his “friends” decide to press “play” again, this is where we’ll pick up from this “frozen” image…

The Turkish president held talks and negotiations with Merkel and Macron—Johnson, met with the Greek prime minister, built bridges with Biden, and it wasn’t at all difficult for him to …promise us a “peaceful 2021”! And that’s because Over the past year, Turkey—even resorting to the threat of military intervention—has taken further steps to impose the status quo it desires in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.

• It considers the area east of the 28th meridian—the boundary of the Greece-Egypt agreement—to be “its own.”. He demonstrated this to us in a striking way throughout his challenges Oruc Rice. It did not cross the 28th meridian for even a moment, “indicating” that it agrees with the Greek-Egyptian delimitation that leaves the maritime area of interest to it “open.”. Except that this one also includes Kastellorizo…
• Turkey is putting the division of the Aegean into practice, not only through the symbolic and almost daily flights of its aircraft right along the 25th meridian. Its fishermen fish undisturbed in the Aegean Sea and A few months ago, the Turks carried out an operation to transport a patient west of Lesbos from a commercial ship that did NOT contact the Greek authorities but instead contacted the Turkish ones! As with many other events, The government chose to sweep the matter under the rug…
• Erdogan turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque and “didn’t bat an eye.”.

• The year 2020 came to a close with 376 overflights by Turkish aircraft over Greek territory, as well as 3,215 violations of our territorial waters.
• Despite Greece's practice of not recording the violations committed by unmanned aircraft, they do exist and they pose the new threat.
• Turkish research vessels are sailing in the Aegean without us even monitoring them closely. The most recent example is the voyage of the Tubitak Marmara.

These and many other developments that have been added to the Turkish-Libyan memorandum and the “Blue Homeland” initiative show that Turkey, through its constant pressure, taking full advantage of the tolerance of Western allies, has managed to bring about developments in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean that, just a few months ago, we would not even have discussed as a working scenario.

At this point, the …pause was pressed. And this is where the next chapter in Greek-Turkish relations will begin—relations that the government clearly must finally take seriously. No one can believe that the country’s foreign and defense policy has limited its goals to “a quiet summer”!

From militaire.gr