In troubled waters and despite the serious pending issues that remain on the table, Athens and Ankara, they were finally sought to appoint the Supreme Cooperation Council (ASS) and the Mitsotakis – Erdogan meeting for the end of April, as further postponements would give it a mistake.
However, developments in Turkey with the arrest of Imamoglou and the obvious violation of the rule of law are creating a new environment, and no one at the moment can predict what the outcome will be. Obviously, no matter how many European capitals want to “push” Turkey in every way, the new situation inside the country will not leave Euro -Turkish relations unaffected.
Government spokesman P. Marinakis said that Athens is closely monitoring developments in Turkey “where the situation remains fluid and alarming”, noting that “our position that concessions to the rule of law cannot belerable and their responsible responses. In this context, it is difficult to immediately organize the Greek-Turkey Supreme Cooperation Council. “
Athens would not want a visit by the Prime Minister to Ankara to be interpreted as a involvement in an internal confrontation in Turkey, nor, of course, to be one of those who are rushing to turn a blind eye to Turkey to promote the unconditional and conditions of European defense.
At the same time, in this completely outstanding political environment, the consciences and consensus required by Greek -Turkish are not easy to achieve. Thus, everything shows that the convocation of the USSR in Ankara and the meeting of the two leaders, originally scheduled for January, will receive a new postponement. The details will be discussed by the two countries’ foreign ministers, G. Gerapetritis and H. Fidan, in Brussels, on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Minister on April 3-4.
Athens wanted to take advantage of the opportunity created by Turkey’s pursuit of “good face” in the EU, amid the procedures for promoting the European Defense Plan and its greater approach with Europe. However, preparing this meeting requires subtle balances, as a summit should also touch extremely sensitive issues and should not lead to a deadlock confirmation.
Foreign Minister G. Gerapetritis and Deputy Foreign Minister Alex. Papadopoulou, in their participation in the expanded conference on the Cyprus issue in Geneva, – where the methodology of discussing confidence construction measures (MOE) rather than the substance of the Cyprus problem prevented the impasse, recorded H. Fidan’s attempt to avoid statements. It was even estimated that this would be Turkey’s tactics so as not to cause tension in relations with Europe.
For Athens, after avoiding a deadlock at the Cyprus Conference, it remains a critical milestone to reopen the Cyprus -Crete electric interconnection investigations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has the latter say, says that the investigation will continue either by finding a formula that will prevent Turkey’s reaction to the field or without it, so all sides will take on their responsibilities.
Turkey’s possibility of changing its attitude is unlikely, as it would be abandoned or retreating from the “blue homeland” doctrine, at a time when the opposition is being screened to add other issues to the agenda of the Turkish president. Investigations without the prior consultation of practical arrangements with Turkey (which is paradoxical as it concerns an area of the demarcated Greek EEZ) is obviously the same treatment by Ankara, threatening with a serious crisis – which will of course be difficult to meet.
But also a new postponement of investigations on Ankara’s meeting would be problematic, as it would create the picture that Greece avoids exercising its sovereign rights in return for the maintenance of the “climate”. This issue would throw its shadow at the summit, canceling the positive message that is sought to be sent through it.
Another problematic issue in view of Ankara’s meeting is the European defense processes, where the partners are pushing for Turkey’s involvement, although there are different approaches to the Turkish Defense Industry in the European Defense Industry Plan and the EUR 150 billion package.
Greece and Cyprus cannot accept this upgrade of relations with Turkey and it is obvious that they will seek to have security valves concerning Ankara’s specific political commitments, based on the previous conclusions of the summit. However, some of the procedures for the Rearm Europe plan require unanimity but a special majority for their approval, and this can cause new friction points.
Athens is carefully monitored by developments in Libya and appreciates as a positive that, for the first time in 17 years, a competition for investigations in offshore areas has been announced. The plots auctioned by Tripoli are south of the middle line, which is set by Greece under the Maniatis law, which also supported the engravings of the marine land already granted by Greece for investigations.
This move shows that, at least at this stage, Tripoli has no intention of provoking a crisis with Greece, adopting the boundary line that would be a projection of the Turkish -tired Memorandum and lead to an illegal overlap of an important part of the Greek continental shelf south of Crete.
The fact that Libya did not attempt to provoke an accomplished does not, of course, be officially differentiated from the Turkish -tired Memorandum and its possible claims to Greece, both in terms of its illegal expansion to the west and in relation to its unlawful assumptions. Small islands in the middle line.
On the basis of this development, it is necessary to immediately mobilize Athens in order to attempt to get in touch with the government of Tripoli and to seek the re -opening of contacts to investigate the intentions in relation to the issue of the EEZ AOZ between the two countries, with the aim of capitalizing on the capital and the capitalization EU policy