A special advisor to the European Union has told Greece to stop its so-called "macho politics."
Nathalie Tocci, director of the Rome based Istituto Affari Internazionali, an Honorary Professor at the University of Tübingen, and more importantly, a special adviser to European Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, made the outrageous comments on Twitter on Tuesday.
"The [East Mediterranean] situation is not new. It is an old conflict about sovereignty and security between Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. It can be resolved only if Greece and Turkey set aside macho politics and rediscover earthquake diplomacy spirit of 1999," Tocci said on Twitter.
The East-Med situation isn't new. It’s an old conflict about sovereignty & security between Greece, Turkey & Cyprus. It can be resolved only if G & T set aside macho politics & rediscover earthquake diplomacy spirit of 99
My @ConvSix w/ @michaeltanchum https://t.co/bqh8tOaGxi— Nathalie Tocci (@NathalieTocci) September 1, 2020
She was asked by Greek City Times to clarify what she meant by Greece's "macho politics," but did not answer.
Could you please clarify what you mean by the "macho politics" of Greece?
— Paul Antonopoulos (@oulosP) September 2, 2020
This of course has been expected from the European Union structure that has been actively keeping an equal arms length with Greece and Turkey despite the former being a member of the bloc and the latter being a military aggressor.
Twitter quickly lit up with many questioning Tocci, but she refused to respond to any of the questions or comments.
And just as Twitter lit up against her accusation that Greece is engaging in "macho politics," it was discovered that Tocci had a scholarship funded by the Foreign Policy Institute in Ankara to research EU-Turkey relations, Cyprus, the South Caucasus and the Middle East.
Why did the Foreign Policy Institute in Ankara fund with a scholarship Mrs Tocci research on EU-Turkey relations, Cyprus, the South Caucasus and the Middle East?
Why did group Sabanci, owned by one of the richest families in Turkey grant her a prize?
Whom does she answer to? https://t.co/ZiR4kNWjfi
— I. Lausannopoulos (@etinHelvetiaEgo) September 2, 2020
This is of little surprise that she worded her Tweet as she did as she was once funded directly by Turkey.
The Secretary General of the Democratic Party in Cyprus highlighted that "What’s really happening here is that a special advisor to Josep Borrell states that the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus, EU member states, to their Exclusive Economic Zones are nothing more than 'macho politics' and no different than Turkey’s unlawful actions."
What’s really happening here is that a special advisor to @JosepBorrellF states that the sovereign rights of #greece & #cyprus , #EU member states, to their EEZ are nothing more than “macho politics” & no different than Turkey’s unlawful actions.
FYI @Christodulides @NikosDendias https://t.co/RseVhWZ1Fw— Athos Antoniades (@AthosAntoniades) September 3, 2020
Tocci has co-authored a book on Turkey and the European Union with a Turkish professor based in Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις, Turkish: İstanbul), making it completely unsurprising why she is taking an equal blame approach towards Greece and Turkey in the East Mediterranean.
https://twitter.com/ChrisLeita/status/1301499042938212357
She was also seen retweeting an account by a radical Muslim who supports Turkey's claims against Greece in the East Mediterranean.
It was also soon discovered that Tocci is an independent non-executive director of ENI, an Italian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Rome and considered one of the seven "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.
Hm.... pic.twitter.com/tfZU9K0iSF
— Dimitris Banas (@Dimitri142) September 3, 2020
ENI has been the main reason why Italy has taken an appeasement policy towards Turkey, with Rome opting to serve the interests of the multinational oil corporation rather than the interests of the European Union, making Tocci's comments completely unsurprising.
With Tocci serving as a special adviser to Borrell, it is of little surprise why the EU has taken a weak approach to two EU members being threatened with war and their sovereignty violated by Turkey.
