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AegeanEagle

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In the 70's, Turkey created a force called "the Aegean army" which was meant just for Greece and which is stationed right across from the Greek islands close to turkey, so Greece has militarized ALL those islands, it has had no choice but to do so and , the exercises are held in international waters anyway. When turkey removes this force next to Greek islands maybe Greece will stop bolstering the defenses there and having exercises there.
 

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In the 70's, Turkey created a force called "the Aegean army" which was meant just for Greece and which is stationed right across from the Greek islands close to turkey, so Greece has militarized ALL those islands, it has had no choice but to do so and , the exercises are held in international waters anyway. When turkey removes this force next to Greek islands maybe Greece will stop bolstering the defenses there and having exercises there.

Are those disputed islands historically belong to Greece or Turkey?
 

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AegeanEagle

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Are those disputed islands historically belong to Greece or Turkey?


The Islands are not disputed internationally and their status is very clearly territory of Greece , the region which we are discussing here are the "Dodecanese" islands and their status was settled after WW2 in the Paris Peace Treaty, other islands north of that which belong to Greece which are directly adjacent to turkey( and which are also under constant threat from turkey) have never been granted demilitarized status and they exist as part of Greece , officially within the Lausanne Treaty, which was signed by numerous countries, including turkey. IOW, Questioning the ownership of the Dodecanese island chain would be like another nation questioning the status of the state of Florida, whether it belonged to the U.S. or not. Turkey as it has been known, is a nation which is no stranger to disregarding treaties and/or blatantly manipulating those which she has signed. Erdogan himself has stated that "to us the Lausanne treaty is DEAD" , regardless that turkey is a signateur to this treaty, which was one of the most important treaties of the 20th century and solidified the status of huge amounts of territory of not only Greece, but the Balkans , Cyprus and Turkey itself. If Erdogan really meant what he said, then the whole issue of ceding Turkish territory can very well be placed back on the table, as it was BEFORE the Lausane treaty, namely..........return of large portions of eastern turkey to Armenia and re-opening of the turkish-kurdistan question, which existed before the Laussanne Treaty. In light of these facts, I don't think Erdogan wants to go down that road. I would also like to add that Turkey's "Aegean Army" ( or 3rd Army as they call it) has amphibious forces directly stationed across every Greek island from the outlet of the Dardenelles to the island of Rhodes. In light of this physical reality, Greece has absolutely and completely no choice but to be prepared and vigilant in the face of this severely offensive military posture , not to mention the fact that Turkey has stated numerous times that it has the right to declare these islands as Turkish territory AND that the line of deliniation in the Aegean sea starts in the MIDDLE OF THE AEGEAN (which goes against all relevant treaties signed and not signed) Sorry for the long reply but I think a little bit of backround to related treaties here and the nature of turkish dealings with treaties is necessary.
 
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AegeanEagle

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The international community will most likely stand with Greece against Turkey as they have always been selective when it comes to muslim countries. (!_!)


I think that this statement is not true regarding Greece and Turkey. Turkey has been the spoilt child of the international community for almost a century. This is changing due to erdogan's extremely dangerous policies in the region and his flagrant dismissals of vital treaties which formed the boundaries of many nations in the region, namely the Laussane Treaty, which is a landmark in international diplomacy. If it was up to turkey, the situation pre- world war 1 would be implemented. This is basically what erdogan has clearly stated more than once when he displayed his hatred of the Lausanne treaty. Such a stance is dangerous and if an attemp was made unilaterraly by turkey to implement his sick wishes , physically, it would no doubt lead to a regional war and likely a world war when we consider the alliances. Erdogan treats Greece and the rest of the Balkans as ottoman villayets, which are still under the control of the ottoman empire that has been dead for over a hundred years. Turkey's behavior in international relations and within NATO itself has been horrible at best and It is no surprise that the U.S. has hinted only last week that it is considering ( I think it's already been decided imo) removing Turkey from the F35 program and it has been suggested that Greece, Romania and Poland recieve those F35's instead of Turkey since she can no longer be trusted to suppor the alliance. For all intents and purposes Turkey is only a member of NATO on paper and that will not last long IMO.
 
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AegeanEagle

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I would also like to add that Greece has better relations overall with Moslem countries than Turkey does. Greece has always had good relations with Moslem nations btw. Turkey has decent relations with some moslem nations and horrible relations with others. Your country btw as you may know has shakey relations with Turkey and Erdogan, as he treats the balkans as ex villayets is starting to do the same with Saudi Arabia. He has stated his desire to reinstate the ottoman caliphate wihch is bad news for your country too. He wants expansion into the gulf.
 

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Islands are clearly disputed by Turkey, otherwise Greece had been doing air exercises with Egypt inside Egypt from the time of Mubarak.
 

AegeanEagle

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Yes I know, turkey also disputes the status of half of the Aegean. Furthermore, Turkey had relinquished all claims to the Dodecanese island chain (including Rhodes) in the Lausanne treaty, however now she is saying something completely different. This is why turkey is increasingly considered a pariah state as each year passes.
 

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Yes I know, turkey also disputes the status of half of the Aegean. Furthermore, Turkey had relinquished all claims to the Dodecanese island chain (including Rhodes) in the Lausanne treaty, however now she is saying something completely different. This is why turkey is increasingly considered a pariah state as each year passes.

Isn't Lusanne treaty going to end in 2023 and than obviously Turkey isn't going to sit idle.
or maybe i have not the correct understanding of the deal.
 

AegeanEagle

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Isn't Lusanne treaty going to end in 2023 and than obviously Turkey isn't going to sit idle.
or maybe i have not the correct understanding of the deal.

The Lausanne treaty doesn't have an expiration date.
 
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Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson hami aksoy talking in press conference, saying turkey trying to convince U.S. To allow Iranian oil imports, various of tupras refineries.

Last year, The US announced sanctions against buyers of Iranian oil, granting eight countries waivers for six months. It said on Monday it will not renew those waivers and demanded that buyers stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions.

Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy saying:

"Tupras is following this topic very closely. We mentioned before that we don't approve U.S. sanctions. The characteristics of their refineries are suitable for Iranian oil. We are trying to convince the U.S side. Talks are ongoing. Hopefully we can solve this in the future."
 
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Turkey detains dozens as protests mark May Day rally
May 01, 2019
1563336-2047762855.jpg

About 127 people were detained while attempting to make their way to an unauthorized rally at Taksim Square in Istanbul on Wednesday. (Reuters)


AFP
Reuters

  • Tensions continue to wrack Istanbul after March 31 local elections
  • AKP’s alliance with nationalists failed to deliver main cities
ISTANBUL, ANKARA: Istanbul police detained dozens of people who were trying to hold a May Day rally at city center square on Wednesday in defiance of a protest ban.
Some 127 people were detained attempting to make their way to an unauthorized demonstration at Taksim Square, a traditional focal point of protest in the city, according to Istanbul police, who barricaded nearby roads including the bustling Istiklal Avenue.

Protesters were pinned roughly to police vehicles during the arrests, AFP correspondents said, while tourists in the area were also subjected to baggage searches.
The annual workers’ holiday is often marked by confrontation between demonstrators and police.

Several thousand people were able to attend an officially approved event in the Istanbul district of Bakirkoy, including members of workers’ unions and opposition
political parties, a correspondent said.

Istanbul election
Tensions are heightened in Istanbul after March 31 local elections.

The opposition’s Ekrem Imamoglu narrowly defeated the candidate of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to become Istanbul mayor but the AKP has officially requested a rerun of the vote in the city.

One of the protesters taking part in Bakirkoy, Mustafa Comert, said Turkey was at “at a turning point, that change has begun.”

He added: “This May 1 will be even more beautiful. It is obvious that this is a consequence of the elections.”

Planned May Day rallies in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey, were marred when a bus carrying workers from the southern province of Kahramanmaras overturned, killing five people and injuring 12, state news agency Anadolu reported.

Poll setbacks
A month after local elections which saw it lose control of Turkey’s two largest cities, officials in AKP are questioning an alliance with nationalists which some blame for one of its biggest electoral setbacks.

Under a deal between AKP and the smaller Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the nationalists fielded no mayoral candidate in the capital Ankara or Istanbul in the March 31 vote, and the AKP stood aside in other regions.

But the deal failed to prevent the secularist Republican People’s Party, which had a similar pact with other smaller opposition parties, winning the mayoralty in both cities, ending a quarter century of control by the AKP and its predecessors.

The AKP is still challenging its narrow loss in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and business hub where Erdogan himself served as mayor before the party swept to power nationally in 2002. It has dominated Turkish politics ever since.

While the Istanbul appeal drags on, the rare defeat has prompted questions within the party over campaign strategy. Although the alliance helped them win a majority of votes nationwide, AKP officials say it has delivered limited benefits.

“The MHP gained a lot from this alliance, more than us,” a senior AKP official in Ankara told Reuters.

Another AKP official said the MHP’s 71-year-old leader Devlet Bahceli, once a staunch critic of Erdogan, was an unpredictable ally.

The AKP relies on the MHP for its parliamentary majority, meaning any break in the pact would leave it looking for new partners — a significant challenge after Erdogan’s blistering criticism of his opponents during the campaign.

Fracture
But that has not stopped talk of a split. The senior official said that if Turkey’s electoral board rules against a re-run of the Istanbul vote requested by the AKP, there was
little incentive to maintain the alliance.

“Depending on the decision, the fate of the alliance will be determined. It is not possible to say where the alliance will go in the short-term, but the fracture has become noticeable now,” he said.

An MHP official said that while differences with the AKP were emerging in public, the nationalists would not be the side to end what the parties have called their “People’s Alliance.”

Bahceli said he remained committed to the pact. “This is our basic choice, our national and strategic goal,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “There is undoubtedly no need to search for other alliances.”

The stunning setbacks for the AKP in Ankara and Istanbul prompted sharp public criticism last week from a politician once at the heart of Erdogan’s administration.
Former AKP prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu condemned his party’s alliance with the nationalists, saying it was damaging “both in terms of voter levels and the party’s identity.”

Davutoglu, who served as premier between 2014 and 2016, also slammed the AKP’s economic policies, media restrictions and the damage he said it had done to the separation of powers and Turkey’s institutions.

Since the election, Erdogan has appeared to downplay the significance of the MHP, pointing to its 7 percent share of the vote. Bahceli said the remarks were “unfair and unjust,” given that his party had chosen not to stand in Turkey’s three largest cities.

After CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu was physically attacked at a soldier’s funeral last month, Erdogan struck a more conciliatory tone with a call for unity.

“On matters that concern the survival of our country, we must move all together with 82 million as the TURKEY ALLIANCE, putting aside our political differences,” he tweeted.

Analysts say his reference to national unity may be largely rhetorical, and the opposition says it rings hollow after he repeatedly accused the CHP and its Iyi (Good) Party allies during the election campaign of supporting terrorism.

“Some people within the AKP are doing self-critism. This bothers Erdogan. How could a person who can’t even tolerate self-criticism within his own party preach democracy?” CHP Deputy Chairman Muharrem Erkek said. “His own words show he is not sincere in the ‘Turkey Alliance’ rhetoric.”

 

Lieutenant

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RIP in Turkey.

Good point

“Some people within the AKP are doing self-critism. This bothers Erdogan. How could a person who can’t even tolerate self-criticism within his own party preach democracy?” CHP Deputy Chairman Muharrem Erkek said. “His own words show he is not sincere in the ‘Turkey Alliance’ rhetoric.”
 

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US, EU ‘Deeply’ Concerned with Turkey’s Drilling off Cyprus
06 May, 2019

turkish_foreign_minister_mevlut_cavusoglu_and_eu_foreign_policy_chief_federica_mogherini_meet_in_brussels_in_march._afp.jpg

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini meet in Brussels in March. (AFP)

Asharq Al-Awsat

The United States and European Union expressed over the weekend “deep” concern over Turkey’s plans to start exploratory drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus

"The United States is deeply concerned by Turkey's announced intentions to begin offshore drilling operations in an area claimed by the Republic of Cyprus as its Exclusive Economic Zone," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said on Sunday.

"This step is highly provocative and risks raising tensions in the region. We urge Turkish authorities to halt these operations and encourage all parties to act with restraint."

The statements came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said "we are starting drilling" in the region.

Turkey and the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in the eastern Mediterranean, a region thought to be rich in natural gas.

Cavusoglu said that Turkish seismic research vessel Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa was continuing work in the region.

"We will conduct drilling in areas of Turkey's continental shelf and we are starting our drilling work at points identified by Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa," he said in northern Cyprus on Saturday.

The government of the Republic of Cyprus controls only two thirds of the Mediterranean island, the northern third of which is controlled by the Turkish-backed breakaway administration.

The Cyprus foreign ministry said it "strongly condemns" Turkey's drilling operations within its exclusive economic zone.

"This provocative action by Turkey constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus," it said on Saturday.

Turkey first announced it would be drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus in February.

The discovery of gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has prompted claims by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and Ankara.

European Union member Cyprus has been pressing to develop offshore gas deposits and has signed deals with energy giants Eni, Total and ExxonMobil that have seen them carry out exploratory drilling.

Ankara claims that such exploration deprives the Turkish Cypriot minority of benefiting from the natural resources that surround the island.

The US statement followed similarly worded comments on Saturday by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who expressed "grave concern" about Turkey's intentions.

"In March 2018, the European Council strongly condemned Turkey's continued illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean," she added.

"In this context, we urgently call on Turkey to show restraint," she added, warning that the EU would "respond appropriately to any illegal action that violated Cyprus's rights".

The Turkish Foreign Ministry subsequently issued a statement rejecting Mogherini's comments and saying that Ankara would protect its interests and the rights of northern Cyprus.

Any escalation between Turkey and the United States could put more pressure on relations already strained on several fronts, including missile defense and military operations in Syria.

Cavusoglu said in February that Turkey would soon begin drilling for oil and gas near Cyprus. Ankara launched its first drill ship in October off the coast of Turkey's southern Antalya province.

The ship was located 70 km (45 miles) off the west coast of Cyprus on Monday, Refinitiv Eikon shipping data shows.

On Friday Turkey sent out a message on NAVTEX, the international maritime navigational telex system, announcing its vessels would be carrying out drilling operations in the Mediterranean until September.

According to reports in Cypriot media, the operation will encroach on Cyprus's exclusive economic zone.

Breakaway north Cyprus, which is supported by Turkey, says that any offshore wealth also belongs to them, as partners in the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960.

The island was divided in 1974 after a Turkish invasion triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Countless peacemaking endeavors have failed and offshore resources have increasingly complicated peace negotiations.


 

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Opposition slams decision for re-run Istanbul vote as ‘coup’
AP
May 07, 2019

  • The Supreme Electoral Board ruled Monday in favor of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing party
  • Erdogan’s party claimed the vote was marred by irregularities
ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey’s opposition is denouncing a decision by the country’s electoral board to force a re-run of the mayoral race in Istanbul.
The Supreme Electoral Board ruled Monday in favor of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing party, which challenged the outcome of the March 31 election won by Ekrem Imamoglu. A new vote in Istanbul will be held on June 23.

Erdogan’s party claimed the vote was marred by irregularities.

Meral Aksener, leader of a nationalist party which backed Imamoglu, said Tuesday that the “will of the people has been trampled on.” And opposition newspaper Birgun branded the decision a “coup” and argued that justice had “been suspended.”

The Turkish lira extended losses against the dollar on Tuesday amid the political uncertainty.

 
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