Greek Diplomacy

Underestimating Turkey by viewing its actions merely as an electoral campaign ploy ignores Ankara’s expansionist “Blue Motherland” doctrine and can harm our country.

Deterrence must be established at many levels, such as armaments and the proper planning of the country’s defence, including preparation for new, hybrid forms of attack.

To grab the opportunity Athens must bolster its economic, diplomatic, and defence forces in this extraordinary post-pandemic world. We are lacking in the economy, but we have an opportunity on the diplomatic chessboard.

Over the last decades Greece and Turkey had alternating periods of lesser or greater tensions. Hence, a coldly calculated approach to diplomacy is one of the greatest advantages and the Greek side should cultivate it.

As a member of both NATO and the EU and as a pole of regional stability Greece is obliged to monitor the situation with a mature and balanced approach.

Turkey was well aware of the cost to Greece of being on constant military alert and hoped that this would break Athens' resistance and force it to retreat and accept Ankara's claims.

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 must brief opposition parties and not act secretly, or even worse divisively, as it did in the case of North Macedonia.