Recently, the rivalry between Turkey and Greece has escalated even further. Turkey has accused Greece of “militarizing its Aegean islands.” On the other hand, Athens points to Turkey, stating that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, “had been carrying out military exercises near their border and asserting their right to sovereignty.” [i]
The comments made by President Erdogan were spoken during the European Political Community EPC) meeting in Prague, Czech Republic. He is quoted as saying,
Whatever country bothers us, whatever country attacks us, our reaction will always be to say: we could undoubtedly come in the middle of the night.” [ii]
Although the president is adamant that he is not seeking a war with Greece, he contends that he is merely “speak[ing] only in the language that its neighbor understands.” He further clarified that Turkey only sought to “protect its borders and interests.” He alleges Greece has committed crimes against humanity because of its treatment of migrants and continued occupation in the Aegean Sea of demilitarized islands. [iii]
Watch the video below for more information on the conflict between Greece and Turkey.
The islands of Samos and Lesbos have recently seen a military buildup. The tension between Turkey and Greece over Cyprus, a divided island, has escalated. Because a Washington arms embargo against the Greek Cypriot administration was lifted, Turkey states that it is “increasing it’s military presence on the island.” [iv]
Cyprus has been divided between the Greek and Turkish communities since 1974 despite “The Greek Cypriot administration” being the “only internationally recognized government.” The decision to lift the arms embargo came “amid rising tensions with Ankara over Greek islands in the Aegean Sea,” according to US State Department spokesman Ned Price. [v]
References
[i] Teller Report, Turkey: Erdogan threatens Greece: “We will come in the middle of the night,” (Oct. 6, 2022)
[ii] Id.
[iii] Id.
[iv] Dorian Jones, Turkey-Greece Relations Tense Over Cyprus, Aegean Islands, (Sep. 30, 2022)
[v] Id.
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[Article Note: This piece was originally published on NewsBreak and has been archived and transferred to DOPE Quick Reads to preserve its informational value. Original publication date: 2022-12-22]
