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George sarris
An extremely suspicious event that occurred in those days 25 years ago would be the prelude to the most serious imia crisis, which gave Greece and Turkey a respite before the war.
It is Christmas Day 1995, the night of December 25. A cypress colored Turkish freighter named “Figen Akat” accidentally ran aground (?) In shallow water, a Mikri Imia (or Mikro Limni) breath. It is a hitherto insignificant rocky islet in the southeast Aegean, the area of which is about the size of a football field. It cannot be inhabited, it does not have a smooth floor and of course it does not produce anything. The same goes for neighboring Megali. Ίμια (or Megalo Limni) with the only difference that a little grass comes out of it, so an old man from Kalymnos left his about 30 children there to graze and visited him regularly to supply the animals with water and extra food. .
The Turkish captain’s refusal to ask for help.
As soon as the grounding is known, the nearby Kalymnos port authority prepares to send a tug to its detachment, in accordance with international salvage regulations. But the Turkish captain refuses! He claims that he is in the waters of his homeland and that therefore the eastern coast guard must assist him. The Kalymnos authorities are looking for a solution from the highest levels.
It dawns on Thursday, December 26. The Port Authority reports everything to the competent direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which in turn communicates through the Secretary of the Embassy of Greece in Ankara Ioannis Papameletiou with the Directorate of Greek Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey. “The captain and the crew are in danger at sea if they do not accept the help of our tug that is ready to take off the ship,” they say. It should be noted that Alkis Kourkoulas in his book “Imia, a critical approach to the Turkish factor” (published by I. Sideris) explains the captain’s refusal by presenting an additional interpretation. If he accepted a Greek tug detachment, he would have to pay between $ 300,000 and $ 400,000.
The question of ownership of the islands arises
The response of the Head of the Greek Affairs Department of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Bangouglou, the next day, December 27, 1995, makes everyone think. He calls the advisor to the Greek embassy in Ankara, Alexandros Kougiou, and tells him that regardless of who is in charge of rescuing the ship, there is a general property problem for Imia. Clearly something is wrong.
Finally, on December 28, two Greek tugs separated the freighter, but the conflict on the opposite bank of the Aegean has only just begun. The truck in question “Figen Akat” is accompanied by Greek ships to the port of Kiuluk.
Coincidentally, a Turkish F-4 fighter crashes in front of Lesbos
Coincidentally, on the morning of the same day, a Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter plane crashes in the territorial waters of Lesbos, fully equipped. He participated in an air battle with Greek fighters defending our airspace, which he had violated. In fact, the Turkish pilot is saved thanks to Greek help.
In Athens, the prime minister is being treated for a serious illness.
It should be noted that the political situation in both Athens and Ankara is tense. The country’s prime minister, Andreas Papandreou, has been hospitalized since mid-November at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center without any contact with the environment for most of the days and in the background the succession career of dolphins PASOK. In fact, New Democracy issues a statement in which it indicates that Greece cannot remain ungovernable because the leaders of the movement do not dare to assume their responsibilities.
Wanted a government in Ankara
On the other hand, in Ankara in those days the processes between the parties for the formation of an allied government are in full swing, since no party has the required majority. In the December 24 elections, Nezmedin Erbakan’s Islamic Welfare Party won 21.32%, Mesut Gilmaz’s Homeland party 19.65%, Tansu Ziller’s Fair Party 19.2%, Left Democrat of Bulent Ecevit 14.66% and Popular Republican Party of Deniz Baikal 10.71%.
On December 29, in a verbal statement from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the corresponding Greek, it is stated that the two islets belong to them and that they are registered in the Bodrum prefecture cadastre in Bodrum. In Athens, the Council of Ministers meets under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization Akis Tsochatzopoulos, who “handled the 1996 planning” as mentioned in a relevant announcement.
The United States leaves open the possibility of a Greek-Turkish conflict
About twenty four hours later The United States makes its first formal intervention, As the journalist Costas Mardas recalls in his own book entitled “Pre-Imia War: From September to the Imia Crisis (1955-1996)” (published by To Pontiki) on January 4, 1996 by US President Bill Clinton in a A letter to Greek senators protesting the sale of American ATCMS (Tactical Missile Systems) missiles to Turkey, told them that the specific weapons systems were related to defense against Iraq, Syria and Iran.
However, he pointed to the possibility of a Greek-Turkish conflict. “We continue to urge Ankara and Athens to adopt confidence-building measures that prevent the escalation of an incident in the Aegean,” he said significantly.
The war of flags
Approximately three weeks later, and meanwhile the Greek response for the acquisition of Imia has been delivered to Turkey through diplomatic channels, the mayor of Kalymnos Dimitris Diakomichalis, accompanied by the director of police and two inhabitants of the island, addresses to Mikri Imia and what she hears said about her area, she raises the Greek flag. It is January 25, 1996. A few hours later the blue and white wave at Megali Imia.
The Turkish channels broadcast the images, causing discomfort in the public opinion of the neighbor. Two journalists from the popular Hurriyet newspaper head to Mikri Imia on the 27th of the month by chartered helicopter. They lower our flag and raise the Turkish one. The entire event is videotaped and held around the world.
Athens is necessarily drawn into the “game” of flags. Send a Navy patrol to the area and submit to the crescent. But the uniformed crew is not enough for that. Take the initiative to reposition the Greek flag, violating political orders. The Turks are multiplying the floating ships, so on the night of January 28, the Greek frogmen go up to a rocky islet, so now they have to watch our flag.
Threats from the prime minister
As national symbols rise and fall, there are significant changes in the central political scene of the country. The seriously ill Andreas Papandreou he has resigned as prime minister and is being replaced by the 60-year-old modernist Costas Simitis.
On the afternoon of Monday 29 January, he reads the statements of his government’s program in the Plenary Session of Parliament and sends a message to Ankara that it will react immediately to any subsequent challenges.. On Tuesday, the 50-year-old Turkish Prime Minister, Tansu Çiller, will clarify in her country’s National Assembly that “the next day the Greek flag will not fly in Kardak (= Imia).” The situation is out of control. If no immediate solution is found, a conflict is expected.
The departure of the armored fleet
That same afternoon, the Greek channels broadcast live the departure of our fleet from the channel of the port of Salamis. 4/5 of our large ships sail in armor and are heading rapidly to the southeast of the Aegean to face the Turks who at the same time set sail from Izmir withdrawing 50% of their forces. The order given by the governors to the General Staff of the Navy is clear: “You have targeted all Turkish units.” In Evros and on the eastern Aegean islands, local reserves are being mobilized.
The fatal night
On the night of January 30-31, the military and political leaders are in a permanent meeting in the Prime Minister’s office in Parliament (and not in the specially designed Pentagon Operations Center as provided in such cases, with the end of … giving the character of a court martial), while millions of citizens remain attentive to events.
At 01:40 in the morning of January 31, the Turkish special forces landed in Megali Imia, while at 05:30 am A helicopter of the Greek Navy, which was shot down by the frigate “Navarino” to verify the information Due to the presence of Turks on the islet, it crashes while trying to return to its base in bad weather conditions.
All three crew members are killed: Lieutenant Christodoulos Karathanasis, Lieutenant Panagiotis Vlachakos and Chief Hector Gialopsos. Many opinions have been expressed about the causes of the fatal helicopter crash.
However, the official position of the Navy is that it crashed due to bad weather and the loss of orientation of the pilot (the so-called vertigo).
“No ships, no troops, no flags”
The crisis will be alleviated with the intervention of the United States. The US Under Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs Richard Holbrooke All these hours he is in constant telephone communication with the political leaders of Greece and Turkey. At dawn the superpower imposes its will. “Without ships, without troops, without flags” (he will say “without ships, without troops, without flags”). Athens and Ankara agree. Shortly before dawn, the fleets leave the burning area of Imia.
* Georgios Sarris is a journalist – member of ESIEA, honored by the President of the Republic with the Ath Award. Botsis for the objective and comprehensive presentation of historical political issues.
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