Ankara continues to raise the thermometer in Greek-Turkish relations by challenging Greek sovereign rights, sending the hydrographic vessel "Cesme" into the "heart" of the Aegean Sea with an illegal NAVTEX.
In the MEGA Weekend show, Sotiris Serbos, Associate Professor of International Politics at Democritus University, and Yannis Baltzois, Lieutenant General (retired), spoke on the subject.
Erdogan escalates tension
Turkey, apart from the illegal annexation of areas in the central Aegean, seems to be trying to activate the migration and refugee flows to the Greek islands, with Greek forces on full alert.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been on the minds of other world leaders, NATO and the international press for the past two weeks, both for his attitude towards Finland and Sweden over their NATO membership and for his outburst against Kyriakos Mitsotakis after his speech to Congress. At the same time, as the Associated Press notes, the Turkish president announced plans for a new operation in Syria."
"There are several indications that pressure will increase in the Aegean."
"There are several indications that pressure will increase in the Aegean. It is a very interesting juncture in Turkey, as foreign and domestic politics intersect in Turkey. Erdogan, with early elections in Turkey on the table, and because the economy will remain the elephant in the room, is trying to exploit nationalism."
"Greece has made a significant investment in its armed forces. The issue is to have credible deterrence if and when we are challenged. At the current juncture, the credibility of all of us is on the table. Both Greece and its partners and allies," he added.
"The Turks know that any attempt at a hot episode will be painful for them."
"The Turks know that any attempt at a hot episode will be painful for them."[/B]
"The Turks know that any attempt at a hot episode will be painful for them. The Greek armed forces can deliver deadly blows. They would like a controlled hot incident, but that cannot happen. We know very well how to deal with such situations. We want reliable deterrence. We must stress to our neighbours that we have red lines, and if they violate them they will suffer the consequences. Deterrence does not mean war. Couldn't we have shot down the first drone that passed over the Greek islands? We would have passed a message," he said. He is leading us to a buffer zone in the summer, I think we will have some incidents, I hope there will not be a hot incident, but the Greek armed forces can deal with the situation," he concluded.
Source: in.gr
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