The elephant in the room
The old saying “elephant in the room” implies that there is an issue that is so obvious and serious that it is easier to pretend it does not exist than actually do something about it. Regrettably, Greece’s Turkey policy has come to that point. Take the migration issue. We know that Turkey’s authoritarian police state […]
The evolution of neo-Ottomanism
If you want to confront your enemy, you first need to understand how he thinks. This does not mean adapting to the enemy’s way of thinking, of stepping into his shoes. There has been a lot of talk recently about Turkey’s purported frustration a) with the EastMed gas pipeline, b) with the trilateral cooperation schemes […]
What strategy do we want to pursue?
It is not enough that we vaguely seek a peaceful settlement of Greek-Turkish disputes; we also must have a concrete strategy as to how to get there. For example, there is a major difference of opinion about what constitutes a Greek-Turkish dispute. Athens says that the only issue dividing the two countries is the delineation […]
Turkey-Libya agreement: A move with consequences
We do not yet know the details of the agreement signed on Thursday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the head of Libya’s National Accord government Fayez al-Sarraj. The deal has been described as a memorandum of understanding, though what matters in international law is the content, not the name of an agreement. However, […]
Turkey’s Syria operation in a different light
How does Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan feel about Turkey’s military operations in Syria? Is he satisfied with developments? What lessons has he learned from his decisions and from the international community’s reaction? These questions are fundamental in assessing how he may act in Syria from now on, but also in the Eastern Mediterranean, which […]
Turkey eyes fait accompli
Turkey has made two key moves over the past two weeks. First, it submitted a letter to the United Nations reiterating, for a sixth time, its claims in the Eastern Mediterranean. Along with the two-page letter, Ankara resubmitted a three-page document listing the coordinates of areas it claims to own. The document leaves no room […]
Turkey’s state policy
A total of 18 mock dogfights were recorded between Greek and Turkish fighter jets in just a single day on August 27. This is a very high number, even by the standards of Aegean airspace, where borders can’t be signposted (a reality that we need to acknowledge if we wish to deal with it). Meanwhile, […]
Blue Homeland and co-exploitation
Speaking at the end of a Greece-Turkey meeting in March 2013, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan uttered the phrase “kazan-kazan” (Turkish for win-win), a term used to describe a situation in which each party benefits in some way. Erdogan was once again referring to the prospect of co-exploiting the hydrocarbon reserves in areas within Ankara’s […]
The principles of Greek-Turkish talks
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday raises concerns. One concern has to do with Erdogan’s visit to Greece in December 2017, which was a diplomatic flop for Athens. Nevertheless, there are certain principles which have permeated bilateral ties between Athens and Ankara in the years following the restoration […]
Crucial decisions that will affect Greece’s future
The Greek state never attempted to dominate the entirety of the geographical region of Macedonia, regardless of how it was defined internationally. It always accepted that some sections of the Macedonian geographical region belonged to other countries as well. However, it also tried to ensure that no other state or nation would lay claim to […]