Erdogan: there are disputed islands in the Aegean

[Yokkiziikzekker]

Erdogan: there are disputed islands in the Aegean
VASSILIS NEDOS

TAGS:Turkey, Diplomacy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has openly questioned the sovereignty of certain unnamed Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, restating the Turkish theory of “gray zones” first expressed in the 1990s.

“Those who make plans on disputed sovereignty islands in the Aegean should know that the coast is not clear (for them,)” Erdogan said Sunday on the launch of the new Piri Reis-class submarine.

Referring to the countries that have opposed Turkey’s maritime borders memoranduim with Libya, mainly Egypt, Greece and Israel, Erdogan said that “those who stand against us have no sense of the international law and the laws, and no mercy.”

“With the six submarines that will be ready by 2027, we will continue to defend our country’s interests...especially in the Mediterranean,” Erdogan said.
Referring to military support for the internationally-recognized “Government of National Accord” based in Tripoli, Libya, which is engaged in a civil war, Erdogan says Turkey will increase such support if needed and will assess its options on air, land and sea.

I know the experts so-called are declaring a conflict between Turkey and Greece far-fetched, buty any student of history would know that wars have been started over far less.

It's only a matter of time at this point...

 

[PsihoKekec]

Those islands have already been a flashpoint several times before.

 

[Yokkiziikzekker]

Those islands have already been a flashpoint several times before.

Under the Mad Sultan Erdogan?


Erdoğan's policies in Mediterranean could easily turn against him - analyst

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been following a more aggressive policy in the Mediterranean but the situation could turn against him easily, said Francis Ghiles, an associate fellow at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, in the Arab Weekly.
Turkey has been at odds regional states and the European Union by sending drilling ships inside Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Turkey insists it has the right to drill offshore of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an entity only recognised by Turkey.
And, Ankara signed a memorandum of understanding on Mediterranean maritime jurisdictions with Libya’s UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) late last month infuriated Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece, all of which stress the deal violates international law.

 

[PsihoKekec]

And previous presidents. Turks never accepted the fact that those islands are Greek now.

 

[Scottty]

How large are the islands in question?

 

[Marduk]

How large are the islands in question?

Greece, Egypt Aim to 'Strangulate' Turkey in East Med, Turkish Daily Claims

A Turkish newspaper known to be pro-government claims that Greece and Egypt are trying to “strangulate” Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean through the delimitation of large Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). An EEZ is a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea...

greece.greekreporter.com

Turkish claims going too far | eKathimerini.com

Picking up where it left off last week with the signing of a maritime border accord with Libya at the expense of Greece’s sovereignty, Turkey raised tension another notch on Monday by disputing the continental shelf of the southern Greek island of Kastellorizo.

www.ekathimerini.com

PE Media Network

Going by all this, my best guess would be that the chief among the unnamed islands is a tiny, but strategically positioned one:

Kastellorizo - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The real conflict is about maritime exclusive economic zones, in determining which islands and their ownership are a big deal.
As you can see, Turkey is being pretty... bold in its claims.

 

[PsihoKekec]

Turkey is being pretty... bold in its claims.

Kind of like China.

 

[Scottty]

Kind of like China.

If it was Xi Jinping in Erdogan's place he'd probably be claiming all of the islands and mainland Greece as well on the basis that they were once part of the Ottoman Empire.
Which has more of a basis in real-world history that do some of the claims the Chinese make.

 

[Marduk]

Kind of like China.

Kind of. China plays from a far stronger position militarily and economically.
Turkey, on the other hand, is a second rate military and economy, doing it against NATO and EU members, while being a sort of increasingly questionable NATO member themselves. Add not being a nuclear power to the list, and it makes it a very different scenario - it could end very badly for Turkey if it gets too bold.

 

[almostinsane]

Kind of. China plays from a far stronger position militarily and economically.
Turkey, on the other hand, is a second rate military and economy, doing it against NATO and EU members, while being a sort of increasingly questionable NATO member themselves. Add not being a nuclear power to the list, and it makes it a very different scenario - it could end very badly for Turkey if it gets too bold.

Basically, the only reason why Turkey is not smacked down now is the hope it might return to the fold before it goes too far.

 

[Marduk]

Basically, the only reason why Turkey is not smacked down now is the hope it might return to the fold before it goes too far.

That was the case until very recently. This article explains it, the title is telling, and it is correct.

Turkey and the Russia's Deadly S-400: The Air Defense System That Changed Everything

The S-400 stands to change everything without firing a single shot.

nationalinterest.org

Long story short, until half a year ago, Turkey's shenanigans were mostly talk and gestures, nothing they couldn't take back...
But now, they have put their money where their mouth is, and committed to a major military hardware purchase that unlike, say, buying a bunch of rifles, or even APCs, has massive technological security effects on other future deals with NATO countries, at minimum deals involving anything major and aerospace or air defense related.
Considering the deal going into billions $ and training needed to use the hardware, they aren't going to be switching to western alternatives anytime soon.
The call was made just barely half a year ago, so it's very much a developing situation, and the consequences are only beginning to hit, starting with the F-35 cancellation.

 

[Deleted member 88]

One thing I wonder about Erdogan's neo-ottoman ambitions is does he have a successor planned?

He has to know he can't live forever and thus if his dream of an apparently revived Islamist Turkey as a power is to come to fruition he would need a designated heir. And I don't think he has one.

 

[PsihoKekec]

He hasn't designated a heir yet, worse he politically destroyed anyone within his party who had enough support to eventually succede him. He has sons, but they are noted for being incompetent. And corrupt of course. A

 

[Scottty]

He hasn't designated a heir yet, worse he politically destroyed anyone within his party who had enough support to eventually succede him. He has sons, but they are noted for being incompetent. And corrupt of course. A

The problem being that anyone able to effectively take his place might want to do so before he himself passes on.
Erdogan sees himself as a Sultan, not a Sithlord.

 

[Tryglaw]

He hasn't designated a heir yet, worse he politically destroyed anyone within his party who had enough support to eventually succede him. He has sons, but they are noted for being incompetent. And corrupt of course.

He also has two daughters, and IIRC one of them is supposed to have a pretty good head on her shoulders, but, you know, the notion of female leader might be a bit hard to stomach over there...

 

[PsihoKekec]

It's the same reason why Hafez Al Assad didn't designate his daughter as successor, despite being the most politically astute of his kids.