Not since the 1974 Cyprus War has Turkey threatened Greece’s control of certain Aegean islands. Turkey’s 69-year-old President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has his hand in many parts of the Mideast, especially in Syria where Turkey protects its interests from periodic Kurdish demands for a homeland, something Ankara opposes in the strongest possible way. Accused by Erdogan of Greece occupying certain demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea, Greece responded harshly, thinking that Turkey did not act like a NATO ally in the southern flank of the NATO line. Greece’s Foreign Minister Nkos Dendias called on NATO, EU and UN to condemn Erdogan’s threats, saying, at any time, Turkey could act unilaterally to reclaim the islands. Dendias said the European Continent could ill-afford another conflict, with the Ukraine War raging on with no end in sight. Dendias warned of a new conflict on the horizon.
Greece understands the historic consequences dealing with Turkey when they decided in 1974 to intervene in a Greek-Cypriot civil war, threatening to destabilize Cyprus’s 1.2 million population. By the time the war was over, Turkey seized some 36% of the island largely in the North, now claimed as the Turkish territory. “By not doing so in time or my underestimating the seriousness of the matter, we risk witnessing again a situation similar to that currently unfolding in some other part of our continent,” Dedias said. “This is something none of use would really wish to see,” knowing the history of armed conflict between Greece and Turkey. Turkey has its hands in many places, including the conflict in the ancient Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan where Turkish troops defend oil-rich, Muslim Azerbaijan. Turkey’s military incursions in Syria are well-known to many.
Debdias told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that Turkey’s aggression could get the region into a new war with NATO members. “The Turkish attitude is a destabilizing factor for NATO’s unity and cohesion, weakening the southern flank of the alliance at a moment of crisis,” Dendias told the AP. Erdogan doesn’t hesitate to advance Ankara’s agenda, especially when it comes to Greece, viewed by Erdogan as a passive, impoverished country in comparison to Turkey. Turkey’s military walks a fine line buying S-300 missile defense systems from Moscow, while, at the same time, buying F-16 and F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. If there’s any NATO leader sitting on the fence, it’s Erdogan, who shot down a Russian Sukoi Su-24 fighter jet Nov. 24, 2015, creating maximum tension with the Kremlin. While Erdogan has mended fences with Moscow, Putin told Erdogan that he couldn’t afford another mistake.
Erdogan accused Athens of occupying Aegean islands designed as buffer zones, not at Greek territory. Erdoganj warned Athens over the weekend that he would do “what’s necessary,” if and when Greece doesn’t relent in its occupation of what Erdogan seeks as buffer islands. Greek officials were concerned about Erdogan’s threats, promptly calling Stoltenberg for some kind of mediation. Turkey would “come down suddenly one night,” serving notice to Greece that an attack was possible at anytime. “Look at history, if you go further, the price will be heavy,” Erdogan told Greece, expecting Greek authorities to return the islands to Turkey. Whatever the history in Cyrus, the Greek government knows that Turkey’s military under Erdogan doesn’t hesitate to act aggressively, learning much from Putin or the U.S. when it comes to defending its sovereignty.
Greece doesn’t have the military scope as Turkey, making it especially vulnerable to Turkish threats, knowing what happened in the 1974 Greek-Cyrus conflict. Turkey started with 3% of Cyrprus, but, before the war was over, it controlled 36% of the island, with Greece agreeing to the division. Greece knows that if Erdogan wants to control the Aegean islands, he has the resources to pull it off. Erdogan learned a lot from Putin about asserting one’s will on rivals, not backing down for any reason. Putin said today at a Vladivostok economic forum, there’s nothing the U.S. and EU can do to stop his “special military operation” in Ukraine. Dendias doesn’t get that if Erdogan wants to control those islands, he won’t hesitate to send the Turkish military to bring it about. Putin and Erdogan don’t jump to the beat of world public opinion. They do what’s necessary to protect their national security.
Greece leaders would be well-advised to stop putting their problems with Turkey on NATO or the U.N., realizing that the border dispute in Ukraine could have been resolved without going to war. Putin pulled the trigger because he got the cold shoulder from Biden, continuing to supply unlimited cash-and-arms to Kiev. All of Ukraine’s problems go back to Feb. 22, 2014 when a CIA-backed coup toppled the Kremlin-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych. Had the CIA-backed coup not topple the Kremlin-backed government, Putin would not have seized the Crimean Peninsula March 1, 2014. So when Western officials ignore the history, it doesn’t put the current conflict into context. Kiev wants a Western-backed government, it just didn’t want to deal with the fallout of a regional war. If Biden were smart, he’d move the Ukraine War to the peace table, knowing the consequences to Ukraine’s citizens.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
