Turkey's Responses to the Greek Allegations (1)
The situation of Armenia is obvious and it is special in itself. If Armenia is not counted, Greece is the only neighboring country where positive relations could not be established even during the Cold War period, the problems between the two countries could not be resolved despite progress from time to time, and there were many ebbs and flows in relations.
Greece, Our Troubled Neighbor Country
Turkey had succeeded in catching a positive relationship based on good neighborliness and cooperation with all the states that were established to replace the Soviet Union after the Cold War and with all the countries around it, including the Russian Federation, the main heir of this union. Even with Syria, which is home to PKK leader Abdullah ÖCALAN, the main problem causing tension was shelved with the 1998 Adana Agreement, and good relations were established between the two countries until the Arab Spring. The tense relations with Bulgaria since the mid-1980s due to the ill-treatment of the Turks were also able to be repaired in the early 90s.
The situation of Armenia is obvious and it is special in itself. If Armenia is not counted, Greece is the only neighboring country where positive relations could not be established even during the Cold War period, the problems between the two countries could not be resolved despite progress from time to time, and there were many ebbs and flows in relations.
The Final Solution is Midline Sharing in the Aegean Sea
An unstable and unfair status quo consisting of islands and islets given to Greece in the Aegean Sea with the majority of Cyprus and Meis Island in the Mediterranean, close to the Turkish main continent from the point where the Turkish-Greek land border ends in the north to the point where the Mediterranean coast begins. available. Essentially, when viewed from a bird's eye view, Turkey; These islands, islets, rocks, etc. in the Aegean Sea. is surrounded by a . These islands and islets, which have already been given to Greece, are squeezing Turkey's strait in Western Anatolia from the west and south, and this noose thrown around Turkey's neck is now seen as an existential threat by the Turkish people. Indeed, this state of being embraced is one of the leading threats and risks in front of Turkey's security, survival and existence. It is obvious that this status quo, which emerged with the Uşi, Lausanne and Paris agreements in the Aegean, is against Turkey.
If there is to be a final peace with Greece, first of all these treaties must be shelved and a fair division must be made between the two countries, with a line that we can call the middle line of the Aegean or the Sea of Islands. It is our country's most natural right to demand that Meis and Cyprus be handed over to Turkey without question.
The Great Britain, which recognized the Ottoman lands in the Balkans as a "Russian influence zone" with the European Harmony of 1815, was worried that the Russians could land in the Mediterranean as a result of the gains they made with San Stefano, which was signed at the end of the 93 War. In order to secure British interests in the Mediterranean, it was necessary to push back the Russians. Thus, by ostensibly reducing the Russian pressure, Great Britain, which seized Cyprus in return for giving the Ottomans a little more respite, should have returned the trust to its owner in the 1950s and gave Cyprus to Turkey. Instead, Britain's inclusion of Greece in the game gave birth to the current stalemate in Cyprus and reinforced the presence of British bases on the Island.
This historical reality has innumerable details and dimensions that will further fuel the insolvency. In fact, it invites a solution style, power politics, outside of international law for Turkey. Without prejudice to this situation, it is useful to limit the current Turkish-Greek problems within the framework of valid treaties, agreements and international law.
Whether a nation is mighty or not is not based on the size of its resources and wealth. It is essentially about having might and power, having a geopolitical, geostrategic and geoeconomic position superior to its neighbors. Unfortunately, Turkey has been confronted with an asymmetrical status quo in the 'geo' dimension in the Aegean and Mediterranean. The Treaty of Lausanne, which was signed at the end of the victories in the Turkish War of Independence, which tore the rags of Sèvres, could not prevent the emergence of the current status quo due to the negative effects of British global policy and the conditions of the period.
Main Problem Areas Between Turkey and Greece:
When we compare the situation of Turkey and Greece, to touch on some prominent problem areas, to reveal the views of both sides, to examine as much as possible where the Turkish side continued to make mistakes in the historical process after Lausanne, and to contribute to the discussion of these problems, at least in the Turkish public, in a more conscious way. I felt the need to write these lines in order to make a contribution.
1. Arming of Aegean Islands in Non-Military Status
a. Boğazönü (Limnos and Samothrace) Islands,
b. Eastern Aegean (Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria),
c. Twelve (Rhodes and others) Islands.
2. Territorial waters
3. Airspace
a. Flight Information Region
b. Width of Airspace (6-10 Miles)
4. Continental Shelf
5. Exclusive Economic Zone
6. Cyprus
7. Minorities
The Only Problem Area for Greece: The Continental Shelf
Greece's approach for a period was shaped on the basis of "There are no problems between the two countries except the continental shelf". Greece; he thinks that other problem areas have been "solved" in his favor. Greek foreign policy experts and diplomatic missions are constantly striving for insolvency, with the awareness that the solution of each problem to be brought to the table may cause a regression from the current status quo or advantageous position of Greece, something may be lost for the sake of a solution, and that the continuation of the deadlock and the current asymmetrical status quo will be more correct for the Greeks. is playing.
For this reason, Greece has always followed a policy of avoiding a solution and presenting Turkey as a "threat" against itself in international platforms, even in NATO, where allied countries are together. Although this policy may be seen as a pragmatic course from the perspective of Greece, it is the biggest factor preventing the resolution of historical problems between the two countries.
Greece is trying to ignore the fact that the eastern shores of the Aegean and everything within 3 miles from this coast to the west belong to Turkey as per the Treaty of Lausanne, and even change the existing asymmetrical status quo against Turkey with its groundless fait accompli such as increasing its airspace to 10 miles. It is understood that Turkey aims to 'collect points and find support' from the international community in its favor by following tension policies during periods when Turkey is 'weak' depending on cyclical conditions (all kinds of situations and circumstances arise).
The Allegation 'Turkey is Aggressive, Greece Innocent' Means Ignorance
Greece, which does its best to show Turkey as aggressor and offside, especially during the period of centre-right and/or nationalist conservative governments, especially when the elections are approaching (like the Greek general election in 2023), Turkish foreign policy has been prepared to lay the groundwork for the claim that the main threat comes from the East, not the North. It plays with the nerve endings of its builders.
This is basically what we live in today. It is a necessity of reason for Turkey to follow prudent policies and to keep its power policy in a measured and balanced line so as not to lead to war when necessary, before this trickery comes into play. Turkey's "diluting" this business too much, naturally, can make us wrong when we are right. It is expected that the Turkish government will not be caught in the wind of nationalism, will not cling to election calculations, avoid excessive steps, and fulfill the requirements of the historical responsibility imposed on it "without getting caught up in the excitement and excitement of nationalist discourses".
Since the 1820s, Greece has been a country of extreme luck and good luck. This fortune turned into a historical fact with the open support of the imperial states to the Greek rebellions against the Ottomans in line with their own interests. However, just as the excess of luck eventually makes a person stupid, the same will be true for Greece one day. Let them keep pushing their luck. When the time comes, let them measure their height overnight. But I think it is not right conjecturally for us to hurry today. Let's calm down a bit, let's give it time, I say.
Starting tomorrow, I will bring to your attention the known historical problems between the two countries, in the form of Greek claims and Turkey's answers.
