Eastern Mediterranean

The US Ambassador said the US, EU 'share a perspective on developments in the waters off of Cyprus... and in avoiding any further provocative actions by Turkey'.

'Our country steadfastly follows a policy that is based on respect for international law. Obviously that does not mean giving in to pressure. We steadfastly fend off every effort at revisionism and we insist on resolving disputes through dialogue.'

In a lengthy statement, the Defence Department clearly articulated US interests and power in the region and the crucial nature of the US-Greece military alliance.

Turkey may consider that this period is opportune for it to impose its views on the delimitation of Greece’s territorial waters and continental shelf.

The government and the opposition, trapped in a ruthless political clash just ten days before the European Parliament election, are downplaying or even ignoring Turkey’s evolving and escalating hostility in the region. With constant manoeuvres, Erdogan is disputing the status quo in the Eastern Mediterranean and seeking an opportunity to advance what he views as his interests. He has pressed forward with gas exploration in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic zone with a rather tepid international response. He formalised his claims by summoning the diplomats of neighbouring countries, including Cyprus, Egypt, and Greece. He is pressing on with huge military exercises and loses no opportunity to violate Greek airspace. If one factors in the tensions in the broader region – with attacks on ships and the open conflict between the US and Iran – it is clear that the situation is becoming explosive. The Greek government’s statements of condemnation obviously do not address the issue, nor does a merely formal alignment of the government and the opposition suffice to confront Ankara’s provocations. Unfortunately, domestic political polarisation does not permit the hammering out of a unified national line that can address current threats and provide a long-term national strategy. Pressured by domestic economic problems and his party’s loss of the Istanbul mayoralty, Erdogan is seeking a way out of his impasse abroad so as to rally his domestic political base. Erdogan is unpredictable and volatile and thus there is a danger that he might provoke a crisis that could easily spin out of control. There is enough military firepower gathered in the Eastern Mediterranean to pose the risk of triggering an explosion at any moment. The leader of the American superpower is also unstable and unpredictable enough to provoke a crisis in the region in order to flex his muscle. Meanwhile, the fact that the European Union is almost paralysed and unable at the moment to take bold decisions further complicates the situation. In Greece, the necessary national understanding is being undermined by the frenzied electoral campaign. The prime minister, who should have taken the initiative to rally political forces so as to forge a national strategy, is preoccupied with his struggle to cling to power at all costs. The result is that Greece is drifting and monitoring events as a bystander instead of seeking alliances and fending off designs and provocations. Though there is absolutely no room for complacency, we are preoccupied with polarising domestic clashes instead of seeking the basis for an understanding at least on national issues that have bedeviled us for decades. The government and the opposition, trapped in a ruthless political clash just ten days before the European Parliament election, are downplaying or even ignoring Turkey’s evolving and escalating hostility in the region.

It was announced in Nicosia that Sergey Lavrov intends to visit the island at an undetermined time, even as Moscow’s Ambassador to Athens expressed fears over the escalation of tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The S-400s radars have a range of up to 570—600kms. They can detect bombers at a distance of 570kms and F-16 Fighters with a 400km range.

The discovery of huge gas deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean and Ankara’s hostile stance towards drilling in Cyprus’ EEZ by companies including ExxonMobil has pushed Washington to shift stance.

'Despite our good will we shall do whatever is necessary to defend our rights and just positions and we shall respond,' Akar, the former chairman of Turkey’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

Erdogan constantly cultivates the sense of a quest for lost Ottoman grandeur and at the same time he disputes Turkey’s traditional ties with the West.

'The Aegean is a sacred place for Greece. No one can carve it up and distribute it by saying this is within or outside its limits,' Efthimios Lekkas said, denouncing Tsironis’ statement

Foreign diplomats – including US Ambassador Pyatt - have expressed concerns over a military “accident” due to the large concentration of firepower, heightened tensions in the region.

Erdogan says Ankara is determined to defend its 'rights' on Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Aegean.

A key qustion is whether Apostolakis indeed has information from intelligence services about the prospect of a Turkish landing and takeover of a Greek rock islet.

 Turkey has often made clear that its perceived interests include the territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of its two neighbours.

'It [Cyprus] being drawn into U.S. and NATO plans in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East will inevitably lead to dangerous and destabilising consequences for Cyprus itself,' warned the Russian Foreign Ministry.

'We tell our friends the necessary words – don’t pressure us and don’t put us in a tight spot. That is the only way that mutual trust can develop,' Erdogan said

The Syriza-Independent Greeks government’s first step toward firming up relations with the US was in the field of energy, after the summer of 2015

One of the issues on the table in the Apostolakis-Dunford talks was the Greek request for an enhanced American presence in Greece