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Crisis in the Aegean: Athens is preparing for all contingencies

By Dimitris Gatsios

“We have no reason to open a dialogue with the illegal, with the unhistorical and finally with the impasse. On the contrary, we are always open to any approach based on international law, but also on good neighborly relations. This, however, does not mean anything. “If we do not defend our rights, it obviously does not mean that we will not make public internationally, in all the forums, what is unacceptable what is happening in recent months in our region.”

With the scene strongly reminiscent of the Spring and Summer 2020 seasons, when Turkey provocatively ionized its relations with Greece in the Evros and the Eastern Mediterranean, reaching the point of using the pain of thousands of immigrants in order to blackmail Athens and the whole European Union, the government is preparing for any eventuality in the face of new waves of neighbor’s delinquency.

The Greek strategy

From the podium of yesterday’s cabinet, the prime minister hurried, with the above 73 words, to send his own loud messages to President Erdogan. Ankara is being led, slowly but steadily, to the shore of rhetorical de-escalation, its leadership is putting … a burlot in which positive decisions had been made at the Mitsotaki-Erdogan summit in Istanbul, with Athens carving (as always in them cases) strategy of calm, always informing the international fora about the new Turkish extremes, which, as often-pointed out government officials, not only cause tensions in the region, but … deeply scratch the unity of the Alliance, in a period of fragility due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Internationalization marathon

What becomes clear, walking towards the extraordinary Summit of the “27” of the European Union (the works are closed on Monday in Brussels), is that Mr. Mitsotakis will seize the opportunity to inform his counterparts about the new delirium statements by President Erdogan and top Turkish officials playing the dangerous game of escalation. With the Greek capital proposing the concepts of international law, the law of the sea and the rules of good neighborliness, having been recognized as a source of security and stability on the map of the Mediterranean, the “blue” diplomacy that unfolds with the information of the European Union, NATO and United Nations, is based in:

-In composure and determination.

-To point out that the country will not step back from its sovereign rights.

-In the internationalization of the cracks caused by the Turkish delinquency in the cohesion of NATO, with the simultaneous destabilization of the Eastern Mediterranean.

“A strong Greece bothers some… As long as they challenge us, they are exposed… They choose to stand up to international law, Europe and NATO…”, said Mr. Mitsotakis, in the cabinet.

“We have resolutely faced and will continue to face all the challenges facing our sovereign rights, national sovereignty and international law … And we know that we can be very effective in all fields and at all levels … “Greece is a factor of peace, stability, security and calm in this region of Europe, which is extremely important for both NATO and our region, especially in the international environment of instability we are experiencing now, because of the war in Ukraine,” they said. from the government. Athens shares the Turkish provocation with the international community, all scenarios, even that of a possible high-risk move by Ankara, in the middle of summer, are examined to have immediate answers, while in the first line come the causes that led Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey again on the brink of delinquency, after a period of calm. And here, the answers are many…

External and internal causes

The causes that led the neighbor’s leadership to, again, tying in the chariot of due and work challenges form a list in themselves, with external and internal ends.

-The success of the Prime Minister’s trip to the United States at the geopolitical, national, energy and defense levels “squeezed” the President of Turkey, who sees his access to Washington as limited due to the fact that Ankara is trying to restore level of its relations with the American capital, pressing, however, on … two boats. The West and Russia.

-The course of acquisition of F-35s by our country (based on the financial planning, the first F-35s will land in Greece after 2028).

-The dynamic entry in the “map” of the energy and the Alliance of Alexandroupolis and the simultaneous strategy of Athens for the transformation of the country into an energy transfer hub from the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean.

– The vortex of the Turkish economy and the possibility of a defeat of President Erdogan in the upcoming elections.

“There is frustration in Turkey. Mr Erdogan reacts to staff whenever he feels Mr Mitsotakis is one step ahead. The trip to the United States has caused insecurity in the neighboring country. “The problem is that the Turks are now setting the scene for tension. We want open channels of communication. Besides, we have nothing to fear,” New Democracy MP Tassos Hadjivassiliou told “K”. “However, in the current circumstances, relations are significantly burdened by Turkey. In the meantime, the Foreign Ministry has rightly sent a letter to the UN deconstructing one by one the weak Turkish arguments. “With the letter from the prime minister to Congress. With the letter we give a strong legal explanation and substance to our national positions,” he added.

Source: Capital

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