erdogan

Erdogan can do anything in the darkness that surrounds him but that is also his Achilles’ heel – the prospect of being destroyed by his megalomaniacal nature and abuse of the tools he believes he has at his disposal.

From that perspective, Germany has an historic obligation to lead Europe to abandon the role of passive observer as regards Syria and make it an active player.

One senior EU diplomat said the EU had squandered the time since the 2016 deal, brushing the problem under the carpet by paying for refugees and migrants to be kept in Turkey.

The Greek government announced emergency measures to counter an “asymmetrical threat” from Turkey which it accused of directing in a coordinated manner the passage of many thousands of migrants to the land and sea borders of Greece.

Provocative statements from Ankara certainly stir concerns and Turkey in the 21st century appears to be adopting an ever more aggressive stance toward its neighbours.

Authorities have carried out a sustained crackdown on alleged followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen since the failed bid in July 2016, in which about 250 people were killed.

All of Turkey’s positions have been articulated in the past but today they are being reiterated amid projections that the two sides may agree on a list of differences and petition the International Court of Justice (ICJ)  in The Hague.

The absence of a Greek-Turkish dialogue is a bad policy that is accompanied by fatalism and introversion, which could prove exceptionally harmful for Greek interests.

The effort to internationalise an issue that by its very nature is supranational and yet is treated as a domestic problem is a step in the right direction.

The Turkish research vessel on 31 January entered an area above the Greek continental shelf causing heightened concern in Athens, as it entered and exited areas under Greek sovereignty for many hours.

In a tweet on the 27 conversation Trump’s spokesman John Deere said, 'President Trump also highlighted the importance of Turkey and Greece resolving their disagreements in the eastern Mediterranean.'

Erdogan went as far as to maintain that Turkish-occupied Cyprus (recognised only by Turkey as a state) will split any gas and oil Ankara finds in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus with the Greek-Cypriots.

Greece must not be dragged along by the sensationalist moves that are a staple of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whether he is motivated by expansionism, megalomania or domestic issues..

Turkey’s untrammeled audacity and enormous provocations have led to not unfounded suspicions that Ankara is getting ready for extremely bellicose acts against Greece.

The leader of Turkey loses no opportunity to display his aggressiveness. Yesterday he spoke about grey zones in the Aegean (Greek islands whose sovereignty Ankara disputes) and accused Greece and its allies of trying to block Turkey’s access to the sea. He announced that he will bolster Ankara’s military support for the government of Libya. Athens responds to this intransigence with the Agreement of the Four in which it is joined by Israel, Egypt, and Cyprus for the construction of the EastMed pipeline. Greece is also taking initiatives in the Middle East such as the foreign minister’s trip to Libya and Egypt yesterday. Along with these moves the government must not forget that Turkey will remain our neighbour. Hence, channels of communication must remain open not in order to make bilateral agreements on issues (mainly of sovereignty) that divide the countries and which Athens has always considered non-negotiable, but rather to make it possible for Greece and Turkey to eventually go to the International Court of Justice to resolve issues that the two sides have agreed to in advance. There are many obstacles in such a course. The Greek political class fears the political cost that reviving this issue will have. The Turkish political class, which theoretically does not rule out such an eventuality in fact places so many preconditions that make such a solution prohibitive. That does not mean that diplomacy must resign itself to the current situation and problems. A military clash would be disastrous for both countries. Greece is also taking initiatives in the Middle East such as the foreign minister’s trip to Libya and Egypt yesterday.

Though the defence of sovereign rights is a paramount aim, nothing and no one should drag the country down pathways that diverge from post-war European mores such as the avoidance of armed conflict,.

s. 'Those that signed it do not have any legal authority to do so, since the government itself was rejected. It lost a confidence vote twice and has not been legally sworn in

Yet when one goes from theory to the reality on the ground, one cannot but wonder how that aim can be achieved when Turkey is attempting to to create in a totally arbitrary manner a corridor in the Mediterranean.

'SYRIZA has become their [terrorists'] refuge. Consequently, we expect you to take a stand. Your support will strengthen our support for you.,' Erdogan said he told Mitsotakis.

The dialogue with Turkey must continue even if the positions of the Greek side are of those of one crying in the wilderness.

Mitsotakis told Erdogan that the Turkey-Libya MOU on delimiting the two countries' EEZs is legally null and void.

As recently as  21 November a senior State Department official told reporters Turkey needed to “get rid of” the system. Those comments came after President Tayyip Erdogan met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

The House has also voted in favor of a non-binding resolution recognizing as genocide the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians 100 years ago,

Mitsotakis told Erdogan that he supports Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades’ proposal for the sharing of the island’s hydrocarbons wealth between the two communities.

The last decades have demonstrated that despite expressions of friendship Turkey’s policies, demands, and threats remain steadfast.