My Fault

In early August 1976, the Turks sent the Turkish research vessel “Hora” to conduct research in the Aegean Sea, sailing northeast of Lesbos and violating the Greek continental shelf.
………………………………………..
In those days, Andreas Papandreou, leader of a then small party, PASOK, with only 12 MPs, was touring northern Greece.
………………………………………..
It was a time without cell phones, and communication via landlines was very difficult, especially in village cafes.
………………………………………..
so
Papandreou finally got in touch with Prime Minister Karamanlis via the radio of the local astronomy director.
………………………………………..
At this meeting, Papandreou was informed about the situation and the country's established position.,
who told the Turks:
“If you have a problem, let's go to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.”
………………………………………..
A little later, in northern Greece, Papandreou, in a speech, said the following historic words:
«You sank Hora»
(some say in consultation with Karamanlis, others say not)
………………………………………..
They say it was something that theoretically stumped the Turks...
………………………………………..
whatever happens after a while,
Greece unilaterally appealed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
but Turkey did not appear and the Court declared itself incompetent.
………………………………………..
This is followed by grumbling and tension in the Aegean until finally the
November 1976
the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey, Konstantinos Karamanlis and Süleyman Demirel,
signed the Berne Convention...
………………………………………..
it was something like a code of conduct for future negotiations on the continental shelf,
and
according to which,
Greece and Turkey mutually agreed to refrain from exploration in disputed areas until a solution to the continental shelf issue is found.
………………………………………..
In 1981, Andreas Papandreou became prime minister and declared that his government would,
the 1976 Bern Protocol is inactive...
………………………………………..
At the end of March 1987, the Turks, invoking the Bern Protocol,
They are sending the Turkish ship Sismik to the Aegean Sea to conduct research in the area, accompanied by Turkish warships.
………………………………………..
Meanwhile, from Houston, Texas, where he was on an official visit, Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Özal
stated:
«If Greece continues to violate the Bern Agreement by conducting research in the Aegean Sea, it will create problems for itself.».
………………………………………..
The clouds of war were gathering...
………………………………………..
To cut a long story short, Andreas gives orders to the navy:
“If Sismik attempts to conduct research on the continental shelf, it must be prevented.
with or without the use of force.
If Turkish escort ships intervene, they should be treated in the same way.”
………………………………………..
Finally, after much drama, the Turkish prime minister declares that:
«Our research vessel and our warships will remain in our territorial waters.».
………………………………………..
Ten months later,
On February 1, 1988, in Davos, Switzerland, the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey
Andreas Papandreou and Turgut Özal signed an agreement
for “non-war,” as Papandreou later described it
(«Henceforth, such a crisis must not be repeated, and both sides will focus their efforts on establishing lasting peaceful relations.»)
………………………………………..
All this time, from the Sismic crisis to Davos, secret diplomacy, as we would call it today, had been in full swing.
………………………………………..
the two prime ministers decided to set up a committee of experts on cooperation issues,
however,
because in Cyprus it was impossible to reach any agreement whatsoever, they didn't get it at all...
………………………………………..
On June 6, 1988, the leader of the official opposition, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, tabled a motion of censure against the government's entire policy.
………………………………………..
So when the discussion reached the Davos agreement
in a digression of his speech, Andreas
said the phrase:
“We left the Cyprus issue on the shelf”
………………………………………..
Do you understand what happened?;
storm…
………………………………………..
Then Papandreou, trying to backtrack, said that Cyprus always remains the top national issue.
and I don't understand how the impression was created that we shelved it.
and the following dialogue ensued
………………………………………..
Konstantinos Mitsotakis:
«you said it»
………………………………………..
Andreas Papandreou:
«not in your sense»
………………………………………..
Mitsotakis:
«YOU SAID IT»
………………………………………..
Papandreou:
Mea culpa (my fault)
………………………………………..
Mitsotakis:
Mea culpa, okay, but you said it.
………………………………………..
Papandreou:
When I put books on the shelf, I take them out again.
you leave them
………………………………………..
something else that the right-wing newspapers did not want and came out in the open in the following days
argued that Mea culpa was Andreas' admission that he deliberately removed the Cyprus issue from the negotiations.
while
PASOK members shouted that the mea culpa was said for the phrase “on the shelf.”
said Papandreou in the heat of the moment
………………………………………..
However, as the years passed, the details of the discussion were forgotten and Mea culpa remained as Papandreou's admission of a mistake in foreign policy.
………………………………………..
PS. Do you remember the great patriot Constantine Mitsotakis who criticized Papandreou for leaving Cyprus out of the negotiations?;
In 1990, Mitsotakis finally managed to be elected prime minister after many attempts.
On January 31, 1992, he meets with Turkish Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel in Davos.
and
decided, among other things, to decouple the Cyprus issue from the conditions for normalizing relations between Athens and Ankara!!!
result?;
to provoke reactions in Athens and Nicosia.
………………………………………..
I'll say something I said yesterday, and whoever understands... understands.
POLITICS IS THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE

Author of the article:

Yannis Golias