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The Washington Post estimates that Recep Tayyip Erdogan “has exceeded the limits of the power game in the Eastern Mediterranean region, including insulting his former supporter, President Trump”, in an article of the article on the resumption of exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey.
“The previous crisis has brought the two countries to the brink of armed conflict while Erdogan seeks regional hegemony, something that worries the major powers.” Pompeo’s visit to Cyprus, the partial lifting of the arms embargo against him and his statement that “we remain deeply concerned about Turkey’s current natural resource exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean” demonstrate the concern of the United States, “the US newspaper said.
The Washington Post points out, in fact, as two characteristic elements of the attitude change on the part of the United States. On the one hand, Deputy Foreign Minister Steven Bigan, who on Wednesday addressed the American-Turkish Council in Washington, DC, strongly condemned Turkey and said “there are substantial and growing concerns in the United States about various Turkish politicians.” Bigan went on to say that “we urge Turkey to halt provocative maritime operations and steps that increase tensions in the region” adding that the United States “was particularly concerned about the Republic’s setback in Turkey.”
The second and most important element is Pompeo’s visit to Greece on September 27 and 28. The US Secretary of State “will visit the Souda base and meet with Prime Minister Mitsotakis to discuss defense cooperation between Greece and the United States, without visiting Ankara at the same time, possibly a sign that he and other US officials to extend its power in the region “, says the WP article
Bigan’s sharp tongue and Pompeo’s trip indicate America’s concern that Erdogan has overstepped his grip on power in the region, even offending a former supporter of President Trump. “As the elections approach, the government may have its eyes on the Greek-American vote, a factor in some volatile states.”
“Merkel is a frequent supporter of Turkey”
“Under intense pressure from the United States and Germany, Greece and Turkey agreed to restart negotiations to delimit their maritime borders in the disputed waters of the Eastern Mediterranean,” the Washington Post article reads. The negotiations take place after a four-year hiatus, which could lead to an agreement through third-party arbitration or an appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Referring to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom it describes as a “frequent supporter of Turkey,” the newspaper says that “he was the other crucial negotiator who pushed Ankara to scale back.”
The Washington Post also touched on the possibility of a referral to The Hague, saying: “A referral to the International Court of Justice in The Hague or to an independent arbitration could initiate the resolution of the maritime problem, without concessions that neither Erdogan nor Mitsotakis can. hold politically. But first, the two sides must agree on “terms of reference” that specify the issue they are preparing to submit to arbitration. “Each side has recently sought to strengthen its negotiating position by reaching agreements with governments throughout the eastern Mediterranean coast, Turkey with Libya and Greece with Egypt “.
In its article, the newspaper also refers to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whom it describes as “an attractive political figure in Greece who, a decade ago, was sinking into the quagmire of debt and political division.”
Finally, in addition to the Greek-Turkish and speaking of the Greek Prime Minister, the Washington Post notes: “Another reinforcement for Mitsotakis was the success of Greece in treating the coronavirus pandemic. Fewer people died in Greece than in the Washington area, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University. “
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
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