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With the arrival of Oruc Reis on the Greek continental shelf yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis receives German Foreign Minister Haiko Maas in Athens today, where he will also address the EU Summit on Thursday and Friday. Europe must drop the carrot and take the whip of the sanctions against Turkey.
The Prime Minister contacted the President of the European Council Charles Michel yesterday and informed him that Greece will raise the issue of this new unilateral action at the Summit, while Athens and Nicosia yesterday raised the issue of the new illegal Turkish NA at the Summit of Ministers. Of Foreign Affairs. south of Kastelorizo, but also the opening of the Famagusta waterfront. France once again supported the Greek and Cypriot positions in the Foreign Affairs Council.
The new Turkish double provocation in Kastelorizo and Famagusta provoked irritation and unease in Berlin, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel had played a mediating role between Turkey and Greece in late July and then stopped the imposition of sanctions.
So Mr. Maas is visiting Athens and Nicosia today, but he will not go to Ankara as originally planned with German government sources commenting that “it doesn’t make sense”. At the same time, Foreign Ministry representative Stephen Seibert described Turkey’s conduct of investigations south of Kastelorizo as a reckless step. When asked what would happen to the sanctions against Ankara, which were also discussed at the previous summit, he said he did not want to speculate.
Germany is in a difficult position as it has protected Turkey from immediate sanctions or an automated sanctions mechanism, citing Turkish declarations of de-escalation. Germany’s soft stance on Ankara is due to many reasons, including refugees and economic ones. Although the attitude of Spain and Italy, which have economic interests in Turkey, is also decisive, and it seems that at this Summit they will also be Ankara’s allies in the face of possible sanctions.
But it is clear from the facts, and despite initial congratulations from the government, that it was wrong that the European Council did not decide on an automated sanctions mechanism. And it is also clear that one of Turkey’s final objectives is to push again with the new challenges to open the agenda for exploratory contacts, which according to the text of the European Council conclusions refers exclusively to the delimitation of maritime zones.
Of course, exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey are, in fact, frozen again, at least until the Summit. And Athens does everything possible to show that it wants dialogue. But a hidden dialogue like News 24/7 has been written and stumbles.
Ankara’s intentions were made clear with yesterday’s announcement by Turkey’s Foreign Minister, who called on Greece to abandon its maximalist positions and indirectly, but clearly, raised again the question of the demilitarization of the Aegean islands. While the fact that the new illegal NAVTEX reaches 6.5 nautical miles, it is a direct challenge to the right of extension of the territorial waters of Greece.
In other words, Turkey does not want to initiate exploratory contacts with the specific and strict agenda that Greece accepts, and also wants to create achievements in the Aegean. And play with fire until you achieve your goal. As the fourth illegal Turkish NAVTEX in a row, the risk of a hot episode is even closer.
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