Tensions in Greek-Turkish relations remain high, creating an atmosphere that justifies anything but complacency. Turkey once again reacted negatively to the fact that another major Western power expressed its support for Greece. This time, Ankara is irritated by Germany, whose foreign minister has criticized Ankara, among other things, for challenging the sovereignty of the Greek islands near its coastline, Kathimerini reported.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who visited Greece last week and then Turkey, said that many issues of international law are complex, but some are very simple. The Greek islands – Lesvos, Chios, Rhodes and many, many others – are Greek territory, and no one has the right to raise questions about this.
She did so at a time when, in the context of a new strategy bordering on the absurd, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials began to question the sovereignty of the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu even accused Germany of not being an honest mediator and always on the side of Athens. This is not true, and not only in relation to bilateral relations. As for immigration, the head of German diplomacy criticized Athens directly during her visit.
Berlin, like Washington and Paris, does not “take sides” in the complex web of Greek-Turkish relations. He strongly advocates dialogue between the two countries and the peaceful resolution of any existing differences. He is simply trying to be rational, and thus, when it comes to irrational claims against Greek sovereignty, he ends up upholding the obvious.
Ankara continues to follow a slippery path that can only harm Turkey. Instead, it must accept the fact that Greece is a member of the EU, realize that threatening rhetoric, provocative actions and exaggerations of any kind backfire, and understand that revisionism is a dangerous policy that should not be tolerated, especially in Europe.
If Turkey changes its rhetoric, stops military overflights of the Greek islands, and its National Assembly cancels the threat of war against Greece, the atmosphere will be conducive to a normal, meaningful and potentially effective dialogue between neighbors.
This behavior will benefit its economy, increase its regional role, and also make it easier to acquire advanced military equipment, whether it be fighter jets or submarines, the author notes.
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