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Why Greece Resists NATO-Initiated Talks with Turkey for Now

Credit: NATO

“Of the many statements President Erdogan has issued, I hold one, with six clear words: Provocations stop, then discussions can commence,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday.
The Greek prime minister issued the statement during his meeting today with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Politburo and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party.
Mitsotakis further said that “Once the threats stop, then contacts can begin,” referring to the continuous threats of war against Greece issued by the Turkish president and his top officials recently.
The Greek prime minister also pointed out that “Turkey’s illegal action is an international provocation that requires an international response and our only compass can be international law.”
Mitsotakis accused Turkey of hostile rhetoric, distorting history and altering geography, undermining legitimacy and actions that endanger security throughout the Eastern Mediterranean region.
He also said that Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who is currently in New York, will present United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres with a letter from the Greek prime minister documenting Ankara’s illegal activities and the threats they are posing in the wider region.
Greece refutes NATO 
The initiative of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to state that Greece and Turkey “have agreed to enter into technical talks at NATO to establish deconfliction mechanisms” does not correspond to the truth and raises questions.
Greek diplomatic sources on Thursday reacted immediately to Stoltenberg’s claim on Twitter, saying that it is unrealistic and is not based on actual facts. The two sides have, indeed, said that they are open to dialogue; however, the current conditions are far from  conducive to constructive talks.
This is clearly due to the fact that they cannot take place under military threats on the part of Turkey.


It is not clear what instigated Stoltenberg’s message and what his intentions are. But what appears rather clear is that he is siding with Turkey.
First, he had previously stated that NATO allies should solve their bilateral problems on their own, when it was clear that Turkey did not want to “solve problems” but rather take over Greek islands.
Additionally, Stoltenberg has not once reprimanded Turkey for its illegal acts towards Greece. Not once, after repeated violations of Greek airspace by Turkish warplanes or for its naval vessels sailing within Greek waters.
Also, when the NATO Secretary General stated that the two countries are ready for talks, he did not mention that at the time of the “agreement” Turkish ships are illegally within Greek territorial waters.
Ankara rushed immediately to welcome the Stoltenberg statement, as if it had been made to order. This is another factor that renders the Secretary General’s move questionable.
The Turkish NAVTEX 
The Turkish research vessel Oruc Reis — accompanied by a Turkish Navy fleet — is currently illegally inside Greece’s continental shelf searching for natural gas, under the watchful eye of the Greek Navy.
Turkey’s renewed illegal NAVTEX has kept the country’s vessels inside Greek territorial waters for a prolonged time now. The sailing of the Turkish ships inside Greece’s continental shelf has also been accompanied by continued aggressive rhetoric — according to which, several Greek islands now belong to Turkey because of their proximity to its shores.
Top Turkish politicians, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, do not let one day pass without claiming “their waters,” “their islands,” “their rights” when they refer to certain Greek islands.
All this talk has also been accompanied by continual threats of war aimed directly at Greece — and Cyprus on certain occasions — escalating Turkish aggression. At the same time, Turkish top officials, including Erdogan, continue to blame Greece for expansionist acts and bellicose rhetoric.
In other words, Turkey accuses Greece of expansionism while at the same time its own ships are parading inside Greek territorial waters, under the claim that they are inside a grey zone that actually belongs to Turkey.
Erdogan has openly refused the legitimacy of the Treaty of Lausanne on several occasions. He is also violating International Law and the Law of the Sea at will. He has issued imaginary maps of the region in which most Greek islands, along with the mainland region of Thrace, are part of “Great Turkey.”
Then he turns around and falsely accuses Greece of expansionist talk.
The role of France 
Among the recipients of the threats Erdogan slings left and right, France appears to be the newest enemy of the sultan wannabe. It is a common practice for totalitarian leaders to construct enemies in order to fanaticize their constituents.
French President Emmanuel Macron is the only EU state leader who has openly sided with Greece in its long battle with Erdogan’s expansionist aims. Macron has taken a clear stance against Turkey and has stated that one of the reasons for the current crisis in the Mediterranean is the return of Turkey to the imperialist fantasies of the past.
“We are witnessing a manifestation of anachronistic practices by regional powers in the Mediterranean, looking to the past, refusing to see reality. I am talking mainly about Turkey,” The French president stated.
On its part, Turkey has often blasted the French president. Both Erdogan and his officials have expressed their dislike of Macron, using offensive remarks about the French leader.
Currently there is talk of a Greek — French alliance against Turkey, according to diplomatic sources. It will not only involve Greece procuring armaments from France but also, allegedly, an agreement that France will support Greece on the military level, in the event of attack by another country.
There is also talk of joint military exercises and the presence of French naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean region, a clear sign that Greece is not alone in this.

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