Faced with the disturbing phenomenon of presenting Turkish revisionism as “self-defense” against Greece from his closest associates Recep Tayyip Erdogan Athens is located. It is no coincidence that the rise in tension is recorded a few hours after the announcement that came from Berlin and Paris through the mouths of the German foreign ministers. Analena Bourbok and France Ekaterina Column about dismissing any suspicion in the discussion of the rights of Greek sovereignty in the islands of the Aegean. And this is because, in addition to the prompt reaction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu during a press conference he gave with Ms Bourbock, key members of Erdogan’s government, his spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and the Minister of National Defense intervened Hulusi Akar.

Judging by the interviews given by Messrs. Kalin and Akar over the past two days, Athens appears to have launched a smear campaign against allies such as the US and Germany. These statements take on special weight because they were written a few days before the boat’s departure. drilling rig “Abdul Hamid Khan” in Eastern Mediterranean (August 9), having not yet determined the exact geographical area in which it will move. On this occasion, the day before yesterday, Mr. Kalin noted that “the directions that are called disputable are connected with the maximalist positions of Greece. For us, there is no area that is controversial. But Greece has maximalist positions across the islands. Because of the seven islands in the area, it claims a sea area of ​​40,000 sq. km.

A flurry of provocative statements from Erdogan’s close associates a few hours after the message in favor of Greece came from Berlin and Paris.

Preventive action

Mr. Akar was even more aggressive yesterday, accusing Greece of an “abnormal” stance. According to Manolis Kostidis, the Turkish Minister of National Defense stated that “they went to the United States not only so that we would not be given F-16, they also went to Germany and said “do not give up the submarines.” Mr. Akar blamed Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias that “by aggressive rhetoric and aggressive actions they spoil the possible positive climate that could be created between the two countries.” He then mentioned an increase in the Greek defense budget, returning to the argument of ceding the Aegean islands to Greece on the condition of demilitarization. Subsequently, however, Mr. Akar explicitly threatened to take preventive action, which he said stemmed from the right to self-defence. “They went and set up airfields, tanks, mortars. Then doesn’t that give us the right to self-defense? Isn’t the planting of weapons under our noses a threat to our country? What happens if we react? Isn’t the sovereignty of these islands disputed due to militarization?” he said pointedly.

Support for the territorial integrity of Greece by Germany and France satisfies Athens, but does not reassure her. A particularly advanced statement by the French Foreign Minister, which noted that “France is in full solidarity against all attempts to undermine the sovereignty of Greece and against all threats that could damage her sovereignty, is not cited. Therefore, we will remain vigilant as the situation develops, and you can count on us.” On the contrary, within Germany there is self-evident support for the territorial integrity of an EU member state. this drew criticism from the Christian Democrats, especially MP and foreign affairs committee expert Johan Vandephula, who argued that Ms Burbock’s position was “useless”.