She is ready for any surprises Athenaas he witnesses an unprecedented rhetorical escalation in which Anchor has been moving in recent weeks, even at the urging of the Turkish president himself Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the diplomatic and other circles of Athens, Mr. Erdogan’s tactics certainly include an element of the AKP’s need to rally the Turkish audience, which is always sensitive to nationalist rhetoric.

The second element of Erdogan’s position is related to Turkey’s attempt to restore access to American equipment. Pressure while attention is focused on the bloody war that continues in Ukrainewhile Turkey has given some powers to the West (exporting Ukrainian grain) is seen by Mr. Erdogan as a means that could pay off.

While Washington is trying to rally an alliance of states already facing political problems due to a sharp increase in the cost of living, Erdogan insists on recognizing Turkey’s uniqueness within the framework of NATO. Behind these efforts lies a practical aspect: without American spare parts and support, the Turkish Air Force, the vast majority of which consists of fighters, F-16– will acquire a significant functional problem.

Quite a few people are worried that Turkey will also try to push its disputes on the ground.

This very general position of Mr. Erdogan and its adjustment from time to time, depending on international events, also has a purely Greek aspect, which no one in Athens downplays. On the contrary, as can be seen from the diplomatic efforts undertaken by Athens in order to draw attention to Turkish aggression, the concern is real. Now in Athens there is a purely technocratic view of the analysis of Turkey’s position, which is based on facts:

November 2019 onwards Turkish-Libyan memorandumtwo crises of 2020 on Euros and Eastern Mediterranean up to the instrumentalization of the refugee, the formalization of the question of Greek sovereignty over the islands of the Aegean, and an unprecedented attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Greece, mainly through the actions of the Turkish consulate in Komotini (which these days is in the focus of coordinating actions to manipulate the already irregular “elected » procedures of minority religious leaders), Ankara builds a revisionist alibi.

Whether the Commission, the State Department, or ministers of central EU countries such as France and Germany consistently dismiss Turkey’s complaints, there are quite a few now worried that Ankara, having sensed the West’s disorganization caused by the war in Ukraine, will also try to resolve their tasks in this area. While nothing is currently visible on the ground, officials for the first time cannot rule anything out.

F-16 Viper approaching

Next Monday, September 12, the first two modernized F-16 Viper fighters will arrive in Greece and will be accepted by the Air Force (PA). The work on testing and standardizing two F-16 Vipers in the US has been completed and they will now be used by the PA. for training new operators. With the first two completed F-16 Vipers, Hellenic Aviation Industry (HAE), in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, is expected to accelerate the pace of deliveries. A total of six such machines are expected to be delivered by the end of the year.

“The threatening nature is more than obvious”

Letters containing inflammatory and threatening statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Greece were released yesterday by the Foreign Ministry.

In letters from Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to the High Representative of the EU. Joseph Borel, c.g. NATO Jens Stoltenberg and Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN, Maria Theophili, statements by Mr. Erdogan on August 29 (Kütahya) and September 3 (Sampsuda) on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Greco-Turkish War regarding the threat to the islands and the terrible memory of the destruction of Smyrna. Also attached is a theatrical dialogue with viewers in Samsud about “are they ready for the attack of 2023”.

“Their overtly threatening nature and tone are more than obvious, which dispels any doubts about their intended purpose, as well as any claims that they are only for internal purposes in connection with the upcoming elections in the country,” emphasizes Mr. Dendias, WHO calls for their immediate condemnation by the entire international community. “Not doing this in time or underestimating the seriousness of the case, we risk once again witnessing a situation similar to the one that is unfolding today in another part of our continent. This is something none of us would like to see,” he adds.

The publication of Dendia’s letters came a few hours after the Turkish media leaked a letter sent by Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu to the same addressees (NATO, UN) and 25 of the 27 EU countries. (except, obviously, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus).

Tsavusoglu’s letter is a repetition of Turkey’s statements about the Greek aggression in the Aegean Sea and the demilitarization of the islands. This brings back the “gray zone” theory for islets that were allegedly not attributed to Greek conditions.