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The growing tension in Greek-Turkish relations and Athens’ expectations of receiving support from Europe is mentioned in an article by Wall street journal with the title “For Greece, the naval battle of Salamis never ends”.
According to the article, many believe that, as the Greeks protected Europe in the distant past, while today they continue to protect the eastern borders of the continent, the Europeans must reciprocate their current support.
The journalist Giannis Psaropoulos, who signs the article, recalls the historic triumph of the naval battle of Salamis in 480 BC. C., when 300 Greek ships defeated a Persian fleet four times as large, and says that a series of events were planned in Greece for the 2,500th anniversary of the naval battle. Among them is the representation of the tragedy of Aeschylus “Persians” in Epidaurus in July.
The almost repetition of the naval battle
“A few days before the show at Epidaurus, Greece was preparing for a replay of the naval battle,” he said, recalling that on July 21, Turkey announced that the Oruc Reis would cross Greek territorial waters for oil and gas exploration. “For two days, the Greek and Turkish civil armies were in battle position in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, before there was a German intervention, which led Recep Tayyip Erdogan to announce the suspension of the mission.”
The article notes that tensions have escalated over the years in the Aegean and few Greeks believe the danger has already peaked, while emphasizing France’s role as the only EU country that seems willing. to offer military aid in the event of war.
Guardians of the borders of Europe
As the journalist comments, “from the time of the Battle of Salamis onwards, the Greeks consider that they guard the eastern gates of Europe”, while adding that Aeschylus, a war veteran, stressed the difference between the political systems of the Democratic Athens and monarchical Persia. .
The Aegean has been the border between Europe and Asia for centuries, according to the report, noting that “this geopolitical divide has lain dormant since 1923, when the Treaty of Lausanne defined the borders of modern Greece and Turkey.” But now it is “coming back to life, like an underwater tectonic plate, as Turkey seeks to expand its maritime borders in the depths of the Mediterranean.”
The journalist points out that when the global financial crisis led to the collapse of the Greek economy in 2010, the euro zone partners provided emergency loans with strict budgetary conditions. Then, remember, a former Air Force chief whose pension was cut in half said, “Don’t you remember Salamis? Don’t you remember Marathon? Aren’t these battles worth thinking about today?” Europeans be a little softer on us today, who do we protect then? “
This opinion, as he adds, is shared by many in Greece today. “As in 480 BC, today the Greeks face an opponent with superiority in the fleet. “Against the new fleet of Turkish frigates are the Greek warships of up to 50 years.”
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