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Aside from the shocking unexpected, another Summit will pass without the EU responding with deeds and not words to Turkey for its aggressive stance in the Eastern Mediterranean and especially for its provocations and hostile actions against Cyprus and Greece.
Movement-maneuver, ultimatum-fireworks
France and Germany He was commissioned through his foreign ministers to bury any discussion on sanctions for this Summit, just before the 27 leaders arrive at the meeting room of the European Council on Thursday afternoon.
In a joint interview with his French counterpart, Mr. German Haiko Maas postponed the issue of sanctions, after the two foreign ministers had carried out a maneuver for the first time, giving Tayyip Erdogan a week to withdraw Oruc Reis from Kastelorizo.
But it’s actually one ultimatum – fireworks, to save the pretexts as in any case in a week (October 22) the power of the illegal Turkish Navtex ceases on the basis of which the Oruc Reis You can even reach 10.5 kilometers from Kastelorizo.
Asked about the possibility of EU sanctions, the German chancellor said the European Union will wait a week to decide how to react.
The bar for expectations is low
It is also noted that the draft Summit conclusions it does not make any reference to Turkey, as in the previous summit on 1 and 2 October.
the statements by EU leaders Upon arrival, they also lowered the bar of expectations for the final text of the conclusions.
In this context, it is not clear which outcome of this Summit could be considered satisfactory for the Greek and Cypriot parties.
THE Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Nikos Anastasiadis requested and was finally accepted by Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, to discuss the Turkey issue tomorrow during the second day of the Summit.
Unfortunately, Turkey seems to remain consistent in its provocative and aggressive behavior. The same coherence must be shown by the EU in the implementation of the decisions it has taken, so that this behavior, if it continues, has the corresponding consequences. pic.twitter.com/A0PZ2g1ICq
– Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) October 15, 2020
Pressure shifts to Greece
In any case, even if nothing drastically changes for tomorrow, any satisfactory or unsatisfactory wording in a final text of the EU conclusions not only does not act as a deterrent for Turkey, but sends messages of encouragement to continue its criminal behavior. in the eastern Mediterranean.
In this context, and despite the contrary to what the government spokesman said, who considered that the EU and the US have abandoned the equal-distance tactic, it is Greece that is under serious pressure for dangerous concessions not only at the sovereign level. rights, but also at the level of sovereignty.
Indicative is what is happening in Athens in parallel with the ongoing meeting of the European Council in Brussels.
At 6 miles, the red line γραμμή
Two senior ministers and secretly the Prime Minister, Minister of State George Gerapetritis and the government spokesman Stelios Petsas placed the “red line” for Greece at 6 nautical miles, which indicates that our country at an operational level does not intend to respond dynamically if Oruc Reis conducts an investigation between 6 and 12 nautical miles, which is its maximum sovereignty exercise limit of a coastal state like Greece.
“The red line is simple. […] “It is about its territorial waters, which are clearly defined at 6 nautical miles, while its sovereign rights refer to the continental shelf, which is not delimited and does not affect the overlying waters,” said Stelios Petsas.
While on exactly the same wavelength, George Gerapetritis emphasized that “the red line is national sovereignty, and when we say national sovereignty we mean national territorial waters that today are defined in six (6) nautical miles.”
The right of extension is practically nullified
In fact, these statements, although accompanied by the phrase that Greece reserves the right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles and will exercise it in the future when it deems it appropriate, it is true that the Turkish Navtex, which is blocking a zone 6.5 miles from Kastelorizo to the extent that it is not answered in practice leads in practice to the burial of the right to extend territorial waters in the Aegean and in Kastelorizo to 12 miles.
In addition, territorial waters or the coastal zone are not only a matter of sovereign rights in international waters, but of the country’s own sovereignty in its territory. 
Ministers must correct their statements
In fact, these positions provoke serious political controversy with President of KINAL which marked the 12 nautical miles as an inviolable red line to request the ministers and the government to formally withdraw their statements for the 6 miles.
“The statements of the Ministers that mark the red line of the country at six nautical miles, although it is our sovereignty to extend it to 12 miles whenever we want, are unacceptable. There must be an immediate public correction.” Mr. Mitsotakis has the responsibility to this, “he stressed. Fofi Gennimata and underlined:
“The line of tolerance and appeasement whets the appetites of Turkey, which continues with new daily challenges, and does not force our partners to assume their responsibilities.
The Oruc Reis must not exceed 12 miles, point and dash. “
Russian intervention in favor of Greece for the 12 miles
In fact, the positions of the government ministers place the red line at 6 nautical miles, they come at a time when Russia takes a clear position in favor of Greece and characterizes the International Law of the Sea and the right of states to expand their territorial waters to 12 nautical. miles.
Essentially the this russian intervention it is much more substantial than statements of solidarity from Europeans and Americans who, in addition to verbal disapproval in Ankara, have not taken practical steps to deter Turkish provocation, to the extent that they do not even encourage it.
2/2
The Convention explicitly establishes the sovereign right of all States over territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles and establishes the principles and methods to delimit the EEZ. This also applies to the Mediterranean.– Embassy of Russia, Greece (@RFEmbassyGr) October 15, 2020
The 12 miles and the hot episode
The problem of changing the red line from 12 to 6 nautical miles seems to arise from fear of a heat episode. The assessment that seems to exceed the estimates of government officials and ND is that Turkey at this juncture wants to provoke a heated episode to expand the agenda of the Greek-Turkish dialogue beyond exploratory contacts for the delimitation of maritime zones.
His attitude is typical in this regard. Former Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis who spoke with MEGA and among other things mentioned characteristics:
“It just came to our knowledge then. The Greek sovereignty is 6 miles. The potential Greek sovereignty is the extension to 12 miles and this is a unilateral right, which our country will exercise when and when it decides to exercise it. It is clearly our decision.” Everything. the issue has to be handled very carefully because Erdogan seeks to create a heated episode that will change the agenda of the negotiations as it is today. “
He is flirting
In fact, in recent days, other positions of government deputies, academics with knowledge of international relations and international law, express the recognition that the hot episode is in the plans and intentions of Tayyip Erdogan.
North Dakota MP Dimitris Kairidis noted that Turkey is flirting with the hot episode.
He looks for it
ND deputy Angelos Syrigos, when asked if Erdogan is looking for a hot episode, said that “it is in his plans, he does not rule out the possibility that he may look for it.” Stressing that the problem of the Turkish president is “who will take the first step. If he had solved this problem, he would have wanted a hot local episode.”
Expansion in Crete, Karpathos, Rhodes and Kastelorizo
“It is no longer the time for speeches, it is the time for events. “The Turkish aggression is intensifying and a clear message of intolerance to new achievements or challenges must be sent,” stressed SYRIZA Foreign Minister and former Minister George Katrougalos after his meeting with Nikos Dendias.
“I raised the issue again today,” he continued, “for the prime minister to demand and achieve sanctions, a goal that had been set for the previous Council and the need to extend territorial waters directly to the south and east.” Crete, prospects south of Kasos, Karpathos, Rhodes and the Kastelorizo complex, starting with the obvious in these areas with the closure of the bays and the baselines. “
However, the question of the extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles raised by SYRIZA President Alexis Tsipras characterizing the one-way street finds reactions not only from the government but also from other opposition parties.
Reactions to Tsipras’ proposal
After the DAY 25 characterizing Tsipras’s proposal as hypocritical and adventurous, KINAL wonders why SYRIZA did not proceed with the immediate extension of our territorial waters to 12 miles while it was in power. “Let them be more serious in Koumoundourou” say circles of Charilaou Trikoupi.
For his part, the KKE secretary, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, said today from the floor of Parliament: “What can be said about the leadership of SYRIZA? While strategically collaborating with the ND government and we refer to the American bases and the transformation of the country on a NATO base, he talks about “red lines” and the expansion of territorial waters to 12 miles south and east of Crete.
We make it clear that the extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles is a right derived from the International Convention on the Law of the Sea and applies to all countries.
But be careful. At the same time, we emphasize that in the hands of those in real power today, this cannot serve popular interests, nor can it act as a panacea and respond to Turkish aggression. On the contrary, it can further complicate the situation, intensifying competition to the detriment of all the peoples of the region. “
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