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One of the matters Türkiye brought up at the NATO Leaders Summit was the tensions between Ankara and Athens. The fact that Greece violated the Lausanne and Paris pacts, disregarding international law, was presented to allies with evidence. Greece, “playing the victim” as part of its general policy, claimed at the Leaders Summit that it armed the islands for defense purposes, that it did not push back the refugees, and thus did not violate international law. As a matter of fact, it tried to covertly create the perception that “Türkiye is going to attack us.” Athens fails to provide a response that will convince the international community against the law violations Türkiye noted. On the contrary, it continues to carry out military flights over Türkiye’s mainland, further escalating tensions. Ankara, on the other hand, emphasized once more at the Leaders Summit that it prefers dialogue regarding Greece-related problems, but at the same time, it will not give up on its legitimate rights either.
EPHESUS DRILL MADE TREMENDOUS IMPACT
The Ephesus Drill made a tremendous impact with overwhelming participation. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “threat” to enemy countries, including Greece, about arming the Aegean islands, led to serious fear and concern in these countries. Erdoğan clearly warned Greece by calling on it to refrain from arming the non-military islands. In his statement, Erdoğan said: “I invite you to refrain from arming the islands. This is not a joke, I am serious. We are warning Greece once again to come to its senses and avoid fantasies, discourses, and actions that will result in remorse just like a century ago.”
MITSOTAKIS AT MADRID NATO SUMMIT: ‘Türkiye HAS REASONABLE GROUNDS REGARDING TERRORISM’
Claiming that Türkiye poses a threat to it in the Aegean, Greece continues to arm the Aegean islands despite the rulings in the Lausanne and Paris pacts stipulating the contrary. While all this is evident, Greek politicians continue to respond to Türkiye’s demand regarding the disarmament of the Aegean islands in an illogical, illegal, and provocative manner. For example, in his statement at the Madrid NATO Leaders Summit, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he read the trilateral memorandum signed between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden. He said, “I want to say clearly that Türkiye has reasonable grounds regarding terrorism caused by Kurdish organizations. Türkiye paid a heavy price because of such terrorist activities.” Meanwhile, about one day after the summit, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias made a “war” implication saying, “Whether ‘summer will be hot’ in the Aegean depends on Türkiye’s attitude. I hope that won’t be the case.”
GREEK MAIN OPPOSITION LEADER TSIPRAS: ‘WEST WILL ABANDON US’
Greece’s main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras warned the Mitsotakis administration: The West will abandon us. Stating that Greece has become the “West’s outpost,” SYRIZA Chairman Tsipras warned, “Hopefully we won’t need to, but if we have to defend our sovereignty, let’s not fool ourselves, we will be on our own.”
WHAT FEARS UNDERLIE GREECE’S PROVOCATIVE STATEMENTS TARGETING Türkiye?
Greece’s provocative administrators never miss an opportunity to use agitation and demagogy to steal away Türkiye’s legitimate rights in the East Mediterranean and the Aegean every time they are egged on by the U.S. and some EU countries. However, it has been revealed that they implement psychological war techniques aimed at provoking Türkiye through false claims due to their fear of Türkiye. Mitsotakis’ national security adviser Diakopoulos’ report titled, “Türkiye seeks strategic autonomy,” revealed to the world the fears that underlie the Greek provocations targeting Türkiye. In the report, pointing to Türkiye’s increasing power in the East Mediterranean and the Aegean, Greek military experts state, “25 percent of international maritime trade passes through the East Mediterranean, and the power that has sovereignty here will become a world authority.” The study underscores that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) boosted its capacity through the development of national weapons, and states, “Türkiye is working towards filling the power void, and gaining control over international trade routes.”
When saying at the NATO leaders summit in Madrid that Türkiye has reasonable grounds regarding terrorism carried out by Kurdish organizations, Mitsotakis must have forgotten that Greece provided training, arms, logistic support, and shelter to the Kurdistan Workers Party’s (PKK) Syrian wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), and the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP/C) terrorist organizations at the Lavrion and Orapa campsites. Or does he not know? They tell so many strategic lies that one cannot help but be surprised!