Mistrust Changes the Dialogue – Demonstration of Power from Turkey to Cyprus

Saturday 19 September 2020, 00:01

In the form of an announcement, before the Summit, of the agreement for the resumption of the exploratory dates but immediately after the Summit it seems that Athens and Ankara end since mistrust occupies both sides after what happened in the last weeks but also because of continuous aggressive statements by Turkish leaders under the guise of compromise.

The pressure exerted by the Germans, as well as the agreement within the first de-escalation step with the withdrawal of Oruc Reis, which Ankara officially declares temporary, foresaw a significant step towards the beginning of a dialogue, before the Summit.

Furthermore, Turkey considers that, in principle at least, it succeeded in dividing the EU. in terms of demonstrating practical solidarity with Greece and Cyprus and interfering in a single European front, but also that with the deployment of Oruc Reis in mainland Greece he achieved an equivalent to the move of Athens to sign an agreement even with a partial Egypt.

And so he thinks he can give this “opportunity” to diplomacy at low cost, even seeking … in return … his concession to withdraw Oruc Reis for “maintenance”!

This, of course, makes it easier for Germany to remove prescribed sanctions against Turkey from the Summit table, while making it difficult for Greece to persuade that a sanctions list should be drawn up and approved as a minimum expression of practical solidarity and solidarity. that Turkey will not be allowed to “cheat” the EU. with Oruc Reis’s temporary withdrawal maneuver on the eve of the Summit.

But on the other hand, Athens did not want hasty movements and confinement in a probably stalled process that would provide an alibi for the burial of sanctions.

Thus, it was considered that the agreement in principle for the resumption of the investigations but the postponement of their initiation after the Summit left some room for negotiation to discuss the sanctions and proceed, although it would probably be difficult to refer to a process that would activate sanctions in case of a comeback of Turkey and a repeat of the challenges.

Of course, there is a problem with the additional sanctions that Cyprus had requested and even sent a decision of the ministers to the informal Gümnich Council in Berlin. And for Nicosia, of course, nothing is over as the Turkish ships Barbaros and Yavuz remain within the Cypriot continental shelf.

But N. Anastasiadis has been pressured to abandon the decision made at the level of chancellor with the intervention of N. Christodoulidis, and gave the possibility of vetoing the other important decision for the other partners to impose sanctions in Belarus. In fact, it was rumored from Athens that if there is an agreement for the resumption of exploration and since the German initiative for the Greek-Turkish will be underway, Athens will not be able to support the Cypriot positions …

Turkey’s bad faith and true intentions were, of course, revealed with the new NAVTEX issued Friday night to extend Barbaros’ illegal investigations into the Cypriot EEZ a few days after he extended the illegal drilling from Yavuz to an EEZ. restricted and authorized. .

This is how Turkey wanted to “torture” the EU. that is pressuring Cyprus not to insist on the adoption of sanctions even on a small scale against Turkey, complicates the handling of Athens, which will seem to leave Nicosia and seek to consolidate the image that the dialogue and the process of normalization of Greek relations -Turkish people completely independent of the Cyprus question and what is happening with the violation of the sovereign rights of Cyprus.