. 24/7 Space News .
SUPERPOWERS
Tensions flare between uneasy allies Greece and Turkey
By Stuart WILLIAMS and Fulya OZERKAN
Istanbul (AFP) Feb 5, 2017


Turkey is once again facing off against historic foe-turned-ally Greece in one of their fiercest rows in years, though the war of words is unlikely to spill over into military confrontation.

With some two months before Turks vote on a critical referendum to enhance presidential powers, this renewed dispute is fuelling nationalistic sentiment inside Turkey.

Forging a less ideological and more pragmatic relationship with Athens has been seen as one of the major foreign policy gains of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party since it came to power in 2002.

But tensions over disputed Greek islets in the Aegean Sea, airspace violations and discord on how to handle Byzantine heritage inside Turkey have cracked open an old schism between the two NATO allies.

The refusal in January of a Greek court to extradite eight former Turkish army officers over the failed July 15 coup widened that chasm.

The eight fled to Greece by military helicopter on the night of the putsch, which Turkey says was masterminded by the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Defence Minister Fikri Isik slammed the Greek court's decision as a "complete disappointment".

"Any decision taken by Turkey's partners in relation to the failed coup is bound to be highly controversial, be it Gulen's extradition from the US or the officers' extradition from Greece," said Marc Pierini, visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe.

- 'Unwanted situation' -

In an apparent riposte, a Turkish naval vessel with Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar onboard conducted a sail-by of two disputed islets in the Aegean on January 29, prompting Greece to shadow the Turkish boats with its own forces.

The uninhabited islets -- known collectively as Kardak in Turkish and Imia in Greek -- have long been a source of tension.

A row over their sovereignty flared in January 1996, when the two countries sent marines to two neighbouring islands in a sign of an imminent armed confrontation.

They withdrew their troops after heavy diplomatic pressure from the United States, a fellow NATO member.

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos later flew over the islets in a helicopter, throwing a wreath into the water to commemorate three Greek soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in the 1996 dispute.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that "if the situation escalates -- God forbid, if an unwanted situation happens -- it would be irreparable".

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim accused Kammenos of posturing, arguing that there were "130 large and small rocks" in the Aegean whose status is disputed.

But Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned Ankara its actions "would lead nowhere", insisting there were no "grey areas" of territory in the Aegean and that Turkey had simply violated Greek waters.

- 'Too many risks' -

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias blamed the tensions on Turkish domestic politics.

"Many aspects of foreign policy have not gone as they wanted and they have big internal problems," he told Alpha Radio.

Dimitrios Triantaphyllou, director for the Centre for International and European Studies at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, said Turkey and Greece have never formalised their partnership beyond political dialogue and hopes to boost trade.

"Without a viable legal and political framework embedding the relations... the maintenance of the status quo holds far too many risks," he said.

He argued that the standoff was being used by Turkey to show that "if it wants, it can bite" in the extradition row, at a time of political turbulence at home.

Nationalist rhetoric traditionally escalates in Turkey ahead of elections and Turks are expected to vote in April in a potentially tight referendum on giving Erdogan extra powers.

- 'No interest in escalation' -

Greece and Turkey joined NATO simultaneously in 1952 as postwar Europe and the United States worked to ensure they never again went to war.

But the relationship remained explosive, not least when Turkish paratroopers invaded Cyprus in 1974 in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.

But those tensions were set aside with the so-called earthquake diplomacy of 1999 -- where Greece responded quickly to a devastating earthquake in Turkey.

Turkey then turned around and helped its neighbour when a deadly quake hit Athens a month later.

The ascent to power of the Islamic-rooted government of Erdogan, who sought to distance Turkey from the vigorous secular nationalism of past administrations, further helped.

The relationship is of far more than just bilateral importance and Turkish officials have already indicated this new row could hurt a deal with the EU to cut the flow of migrants.

The two sides are also working together to end the division of Cyprus. The UN's Cyprus envoy Espen Barth Eide admitted the tensions were something "I'd rather be without".

Yet both sides also emphasised they want to keep relations alive, with Kotzias expressing hope they can "soften the tone".

"I do not think that any side has an interest in further escalation," said Ioannis Grigoriadis, assistant professor at Ankara's Bilkent University.

He predicted the dispute will "once again go on the back burner".


Comment on this article using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com






Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
SUPERPOWERS
Global alarm over Ukraine fighting as death toll hits 19
Avdiivka, Ukraine (AFP) Feb 1, 2017
The death toll from the latest escalation in fighting in Ukraine rose to 19 on Wednesday as international alarm rang out over the spike in bloodshed in the European Union's back yard. Government forces and Russian-backed separatists exchanged mortar and rocket fire for a fourth day around the flashpoint eastern town of Avdiivka just north of the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk. The Ukra ... read more


SUPERPOWERS
Scientists and students tackle omics at NASA workshop

Mister Trump Goes to Washington

Airbus delivers propulsion test module for the Orion programme to NASA

NASA to rely on Soyuz for ISS missions until 2019

SUPERPOWERS
Russia to call tender for 2nd Phase of Vostochny Spaceport construction in Fall

Russia to check space flight engines over faulty parts

SmallGEO's first flight reaches orbit

Major review completed for SLS Exploration Upper Stage

SUPERPOWERS
Similar-Looking Ridges on Mars Have Diverse Origins

Commercial Crew's Role in Path to Mars

Bursts of methane may have warmed early Mars

Opportunity marks 13 years of ground operations on Mars

SUPERPOWERS
China looks to Mars, Jupiter exploration

China's first cargo spacecraft to leave factory

China launches commercial rocket mission Kuaizhou-1A

China Space Plan to Develop "Strength and Size"

SUPERPOWERS
Space, Ukrainian-style: Through Crisis to Revival

ESA Planetary Science Archive gets a new look

Iridium-1 NEXT Launched on a Falcon 9

Shaping the Future: Aerospace Works to Ensure an Informed Space Policy

SUPERPOWERS
U.S. Navy orders radar detection kits for MH-60R aircraft

New white paper reviews latest support for Redefinition of the Kilogram by 2018

A new approach to 3-D holographic displays greatly improves the image quality

Facebook's Oculus ordered pay $500 mn in suit on stolen tech

SUPERPOWERS
New planet imager delivers first science at Keck

First footage of a living stylodactylid shrimp filter-feeding at depth of 4826m

SF State astronomer searches for signs of life on Wolf 1061 exoplanet

Looking for life in all the right places with the right tool

SUPERPOWERS
Public to Choose Jupiter Picture Sites for NASA Juno

Experiment resolves mystery about wind flows on Jupiter

Pluto Global Color Map

Lowell Observatory to renovate Pluto discovery telescope









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.