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Jerusalem, Israel – Long-standing tensions between Turkey and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean are increasing pressure on NATO exactly as the 30-country Euro-Atlantic military alliance must unite to address the multiple destabilizing factors triggered by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. .
A week ago, citing Turkish Defense Ministry sources, the Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported that Greek surface-to-air missiles had docked with Turkish F-16 fighters that were carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace. Greek officials dismissed the report with a defense ministry statement alleging that five Turkish jets appeared without warning to accompany a US B-52 bomber flight through an area under Greek flight control, the Associated Press.
The incident was just the latest in a series of claims by Turkey and the pushback of Greece that prompted both countries to file complaints with NATO.
Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, compared Turkey’s behavior to that of China, which has made broad claims of sovereignty over the sea and its natural resources, antagonizing neighboring countries, including Taiwan and Vietnam.
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“Turkey views the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean the same way China views South China and the East China Sea, and the way China breached the area and made further claims is what it did. Turkey, “Digital News told Fox.
He added that a mix of internal and external factors has left Turkey increasingly isolated and vulnerable, prompting Erdogan to focus on foreign policy and tensions with Greece to deviate from internal problems.
Greece and Turkey have been locked in a maritime and territorial dispute for decades, but with changing geopolitical alliances and discoveries of natural gas and oil in regional waters, relations have deteriorated dramatically not only impacting NATO, but also on bilateral ties with the United States and other countries in the immediate vicinity.
In 2020, the two states clashed over exploratory drilling rights in the sea where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic zones. That incident led to a naval standoff between the two countries. More recently, Turkey has witnessed with growing suspicion and frustration as Greece approaches regional allies such as Israel, Egypt and France, as well as the United States.
In May, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed a joint session of Congress warning that, in light of the war in Ukraine, NATO could not allow “an additional source of instability on its southeastern flank.” Mitsotakis’ visit to Washington, which finalized the Greek purchase of F-35 fighters, was condemned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who accused his neighbor of lobbying against US arms sales to Turkey.
On June 9, 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan observes a military exercise in Smyrna, Turkey. On Thursday, President Erdogan observed the last day of a large-scale joint military exercise in the western province of Smyrna.
(Xinhua via Getty Images)
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Ankara has faced sanctions from Washington for its ties to Russia, most notably the 2019 purchase of an advanced Russian missile defense system, but Turkey’s powerful role in NATO has forced the Biden administration to backtrack into its approach. In June, when NATO leaders met in Madrid, the president raised the prospect of hunting for Turkey as he worked to secure Turkish support for Sweden and Finland’s membership of the organization.
Turkey’s initial opposition to those countries joining NATO, as well as its close ties with Russia, have put it at odds with the United States and other members, including Greece, whose role as a strategic partner for the US security has only grown. In recent months, the Greek port of Alexandroupolis, adjacent to Turkey and Bulgaria in the northern Aegean Sea, has become a central focal point as the United States is increasing its military presence in Eastern Europe.
According to statistics gathered by the Zemenides organization, this year saw a dramatic increase in Turkish violations of the Greek national airspace from 618 in the first half of 2021 to around 2,377 in the same period in 2022. In addition, Turkish jets have begun to fly. fly over inhabited islands belonging to Greece, arriving very close to the mainland not too far from the port of Alexandroupolis.
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“It’s not one project or another,” Zemenides said, pointing to the EastMed Forum, which includes Greece but excludes Turkey, the Abraham agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the defense agreements between Greece and states United and another with France.
“Turkey sees a photo with all these guys together and the other photo is of Erdogan with Putin and Iran holding hands,” he said. “Turkey has bet on its Eurasia orientation, it has bet on other partners and it is starting to explode as its economy suffers from high inflation, so now it is following the external tensions playbook to distract everyone from internal difficulties.”
The Greek flag painted on a hill on the island of Pserimos. Turkey claims that Greece is violating international treaties for what it says is the militarization of its islands in the eastern Aegean.
(Ali Balli Agency / Anadolu via Getty Images.)
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A NATO official dismissed the tension, telling Fox News Digital Monday that the two countries “have been committed allies for decades” and that a “military de-conflict mechanism” was in place to mediate between them.
“Every day, Greece and Turkey work together, sit down with twenty-eight other allies to work on our most pressing security challenges,” the official said. “We are confident that Greece and Turkey can discuss any differences in a spirit of mutual trust and allied solidarity.”
