Analysts, however, believe that Turkish provocation towards Greece seems to be becoming endless on the way to the polls in Ankara
By Penelope Galliou
While Tayyip Erdoğan continues the “hava” of provocations, the state and political leadership of Greece is sending a resounding message of strong resistance and zero tolerance towards Turkish aggression.
The President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, on the occasion of the anniversary of the restoration of the Republic, declared intransigent against any questioning and emphasized that “on every anniversary, our memory returns to the Cypriot tragedy. We are once again experiencing the hideous Turkish invasion and the deep wound of national loss. The solution of the Cyprus issue, based on the decisions of the United Nations Security Council and the European acquis, is our absolute priority. Greece and Cyprus remain steadfastly committed to the reunification of the island and the removal of the occupying forces. No retreat fits Turkish aggression and intransigence, as well as any attempt to create fait accompli in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean”.
Earlier, a double message of strength and vigilance was jointly sent by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Mr. Nikos Dendias and Nikos Panagiotopoulos in Ankara, “intercepting” the new non-existent challenges of the neighbor. They explained that Athens’ “line of defense” will continue to aim at the internationalization of Turkish extremism, exposing to partners and allies, in the international community, Turkey’s illegal claims and objections.
Analysts estimate, however, that the Turkish provocation towards Greece seems to be becoming endless on the way to the polls in Ankara and as an orchestrator, President Erdogan does not miss – and probably will not miss – an opportunity, he and his co-leaders, to attack Greece , as long as they see the collapse of their regime and attempting to overshadow Turkey’s internal impasses.
The relevance of Turkey’s provocative rhetoric to the upcoming Turkish elections of 2023 was also diagnosed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasizing the strategy of internationalizing the problem.
“Turkish provocation exceeds not only the rules of International Law, but also the limits of logic. Acting calmly and decisively, we have recently intensified the campaign to inform our allies, partners and international public opinion,” Mr. Dendias pointed out in an interview with the newspaper “I Kathimerini”, assessing however that those who believe that after the Turkish elections will disappear through magic challenges, wander.
Erdogan confirms the Greek positions
In support of the Greek positions, on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, the Tayyip Erdogan, turning white into black, continued the lies against Greece and the implementation of the treaty, showing Greece as its “trespasser” and again speaking defiantly about the Turkish minority in our country.
“On Greece’s side, the terms recorded in the treaty, especially the rights of the Turkish minority, were ignored or deliberately eroded. It is not possible for our country to accept this situation, which is incompatible with good neighborly relations and loyalty to the treaty,” said the Turkish president, among other things, falsifying the story itself.
The fan of Turkish aggression was also opened during his trip to the USA by the Minister of Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos, who exposed all aspects of Ankara’s delinquency while in an interview on public television he described the Turkish provocations as outrageous, once again rejected the complaints about the demilitarization of Greek islands and, like Nikos Dendias, overemphasized the continuation of the internationalization of the problem. “Although the issue of demilitarization is outrageous to discuss. They would say that it has no valid legal basis, however stupid, ridiculous, outrageous we may think it is, we should nevertheless explain this to partners and allies. Because the others – probably all of them – do not have the same knowledge or familiarity with the subject” noted the Minister.
In “Hava” Erdoğan, his close associate, director of the Turkish presidency Fahrettin Altun, who, speaking to SKAI correspondent Manolis Kostidis, insisted on reversing the reality, claiming that Athens is causing tensions, while he threatened with overflights even above the Attica! “Greece is the side that has been escalating the tension in the Aegean for several months. If Turkey wanted to play a game as dangerous as Greece, you would have seen Turkish warplanes in the skies over Attica,” he said.
However, the Minister of Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos, although he estimated that it will not be repeated in the summer of 2020, declared to be alert. “As they say in NATO, we hope for the best but prepare for the worst. So we are being vigilant. I wouldn’t say on alert or on alert but on vigilance,” he stressed.
In any case, Turkey’s irritation is exacerbated even more by Greece’s defense strengthening after the agreements with the USA and France to strengthen the Armed Forces and at the present time, after the USA’s suspension of the Turkish F16s, while Greece now dynamically enters the F35 club by acquiring the 5th generation fighters.
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