The map shows the area where the Turkish scientific research vessel YUNUS S will sail. The boat may be old, without special features. However, Ankara does not require research, but the display of power and flag in the heart of the Aegean Sea.
Those who expected or believed in a temporary de-escalation in Greek-Turkish have been refuted, according to Militaire. The Mitsotakis-Erdoğan meeting in Istanbul, instead of acting as a decompression valve, has been turned into an ignition trigger.
How did this happen?
No one can claim to know exactly what the Greek Prime Minister and Erdoğan discussed at their meeting in Istanbul.
The Turkish president, with the aggressive statements he has made, has hinted that "we talked more with Mitsotakis but he said other things to the USA."
We will not accept the claims of the Turkish president.
In any case, the prime minister did not say anything "extremist" against Turkey from Washington. In fact, he did not even mention Turkey by name!
On the other hand, we will not adopt the simplistic explanation that says "Erdoğan was just annoyed by Mitsotakis' trip to the USA and that is why he decided to escalate the tension in the Aegean."
Turkey, with or without the current president, always operates with a plan and a goal. The same thing is happening now.
The Greek government, on the other hand, appears disappointed with the attitude of the "allies" who, to put it bluntly, "have written us in their old shoes"!
We have pointed out several times that Athens does not need to waste time and thoughts just to analyse Erdoğan and Turkey. The situation is a given: Turkey will continue to attack and will escalate its attack as long as it finds us "bosses".
The only way to back down - temporarily - is to understand from the good and the bad that the word prevention that we often use makes sense. There is no need for a war over this.
Prevention exists just to avoid it. The hardening of our stance on what we do every day for many years in the Aegean, at sea and in the air, will be enough to brake Ankara.
The issue that the Greek government must solve is the well-publicised relationship with the "allies"!
The government has given everything, even what was not requested, and it seems she was sure that this was enough to "receive" support!
The Greek government has already signed armaments that reach 7 billion euros and is in a hurry - as if… they will be finished - to buy an F-35, something that if it happens will throw the armaments expenses far above those of the Simitis-Tsochatzopoulos-Papadoniou era!
We do not think there is any other way than to turn the page on "our allied relations", even now. The question is whether the government will dare.
Who can bet on yes?
Paris Karvounopoulos has been a journalist since 1986. Since 1993 he has been covering the Ministry of Defense. He worked at ANTENNA from 1991 to 2015. Head of the website Onalert.gr from 2010 to January 2016. Today he is a military editor of Real News and a contributor to Reuters. Head of Militaire since February 29, 2016
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