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Dissatisfied with the recovery of Hagia Sophia to become a mosque, does the new Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan now want to avenge the naval battle of Nafpaktos? asks Philippe Gélie, in a related article in the French newspaper Le Figaro.
Furthermore, as he himself affirms: “His army parades in the bombings of the eastern Mediterranean, at a time when tensions with Greece are at their peak. The two neighboring countries, historical rivals, are fighting for the exploitation of rich offshore gas fields, reigniting an old dispute over the extension of their respective continental territories. Off the coast of Cyprus, economic benefits and sovereignty issues create an explosive cocktail. “The slightest spark could cause a catastrophe,” warns German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
“Are we going to witness the first war, difficult to imagine, between two members of NATO?”, Is the second question that the columnist asks, adding that Erdogan “challenges the Europeans to be willing to” sacrifice “those” witnesses “and him.”
According to Gélie, the Turkish president’s Islamist-style nationalist populism “constantly pushes him to make new enemies, including the Greek and French” greedy and incompetent leaders who are now emerging in a prominent position. “
He goes on to say that Erdogan’s list of bad moves is growing. To him belong:
– blackmail of immigrants against Europe,
– the occupation of northern Syria against the Kurds,
– the armed intervention in Libya
The purchase of a Russian missile defense system “under the noses” of the Americans too
– the internal repression, which put thousands of Turks in jail and cost the life of lawyer Ebru Timtik, after a 238-day hunger strike.
“For France, there can be no equivalence between Turkish offenses and Greece’s sometimes exaggerated maritime claims,” Gélie said, adding that French President Emanuel Macron “wants NATO to have the courage to speak to its emperor.” Ankara and the EU be strict enough to comply. “
In addition, he explains that “in his duet with the chancellor, the Frenchman plays the role of an ostentatious militarist, while Angela Merkel supports a sober dialogue”, while emphasizing that “his plan to get out of a dangerous escalation is to end without delay “. of military challenges and the establishment of a moratorium on exploration in disputed waters. “No one has said it better so far.”
In the same tribute, columnist Nicolas Barotte cites information from a diplomat that the French warship Tonnerre, bound for Lebanon, to transport French aid to Beirut, arrived at its destination later, after a joint navigation with the Greek. Armed, the French frigate “was flexibly accompanied by a Turkish ship.”
“The episode further reflects the mistrust that has developed in the eastern Mediterranean between France and Turkey,” he said, noting that for months, “the Marines have been staring at and observing each other as Ankara attempts the policy of the events, claiming rights to natural gas resources in southern Cyprus and circulating ships, violating the arms embargo in Libya, culminating in the tensions of recent months, the incident with the frigate Le Courbet ”.
He also recalled the partial withdrawal of France, following this aggressive move by Turkey and the protest of Defense Minister Florence Parly in NATO against the behavior of this particular “ally”, noting at the same time that only eight other countries of the Alliance they followed him. the French minister in this movement.
In August, Tonnerre took advantage of his passage to observe the operations carried out by Oruts Reyes, whose controversial activity has rekindled tensions between Greece and Turkey.
According to the tribute, “the distance between Oruts Reyes and the warships may not technically allow drilling operations” and, in any case, the exploitation of these resources will take years. Therefore, the Turkish demonstration of power at sea is fundamentally political and France, in the name of freedom of navigation and respect for international law, opposes and stands in favor of Greece.
However, as the Oruch Reyes mission has been extended, the Turkish Navy has decided to conduct live-fire exercises this week, warning foreign ships to avoid the area. “This type of military exercise is not unusual a priori. But in this context, it carries a political signal ”, explains Hugo Decis, IISS researcher and expert in the Eastern Mediterranean. The war warning is clear, but there is a difference with Greece, which also conducted an exercise at sea last week. “Turkey is alone, while Athens was able to involve France, Italy and Cyprus,” says the researcher.
According to the article, Greece is also stepping up military exercises to impress its Turkish opponent, and the risk of an incident should not be underestimated.
“Off the coasts of Egypt and Israel, with the presence of Russian and American ships, the eastern Mediterranean is particularly sensitive, hence the prudence of some. If the British have bases in Cyprus, they stay away from tensions to protect their citizens in the northern part of the island, which has been controlled by Turkey since 1974. Italy, before participating in “Eunomia”, did its part an exercise joint with Turkey at sea; Roma wants to save the goat and the cabbage. “Like the United States, which conducted exercises with Turkish ships last week.”
A similar post is hosted by the American website The Hill, entitled “Erdogan’s excessive ambition causes trouble in the Mediterranean.”
The article states, among other things, that “it is well known that Erdogan supports the Muslim Brotherhood and that he is trying to extend Turkish influence in areas that were once under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.”
It is also noted that “in this effort [ο Ερντογάν] it has chosen to face six Eastern Mediterranean countries and France at the same time, distancing itself more and more from the European Union, to which France, Greece and Cyprus belong ”.
Finally, according to the columnist, “whether Erdogan admits that he has bitten off more than he can chew remains an open question.” If you have any logic, you will redefine your aggressive behavior before you realize that your country is paying a price it cannot afford. “
