Editorial Ta Nea: Vigilance

From former prime minister Costas Simitis to the US government, many international players and observers believe that nothing can preclude a military incident with Turkey by the end of summer.

The question is how can one avert such an ominous development?

How must one act to keep a reasonable concern from turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy?

There are no easy answers.

That is not only because it does not depend solely on the Greek side.

Other factors will also play a catalytic role – mainly Turkey’s intentions from the vantage point of both its expansionist agenda and the desperation emanating from the state of the Turkish economy.

In any event, Greece knows what it should not do.

Athens must not become isolated and limit the handling of the problem to the framework of a Greek-Turkish dispute.

Greece has every reason to behave as a member of the EU and Nato.

It must not allow the thorny issue of Greek-Turkish relations and national issues more generally to become election campaign issues.

What is more, the political establishment must not become so absorbed in the electoral campaign that it can be caught unawares if a difficult situation arises.

What is needed now is vigilance, preparedness, and of course composure.