In a bid to try to remove any risks of military confrontation in the Mediterranean, Greece, and Turkey have set up a military hotline. The two neighboring nations are locked in a row over the maritime borders and energy resources in the region.
The NATO military bloc – of which both countries are members of – announced the move. Earlier this year, when Ankara sent a research ship in the Mediterranean, the tensions between the neighbors escalated.
Meanwhile, the move comes as the European Union meets to discuss its diplomatic ties with the Turkish government. Ankara has been a long-term candidate for becoming a member of the bloc, but in recent years the efforts have largely been stalled, with the EU member states criticizing the country’s record with human rights and the rule of law, especially in the wake of 2016’s failed coup attempt.
Despite all this, Turkey remains a key European ally. Furthermore, it also struck a deal, focused on decreasing the number of immigrants arriving in Greece through Turkey.
Tensions in the Mediterranean and Military Hotline
The recent announcement of military hotlines came after the high-level talks between the diplomatic delegations of two countries at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of the NATO, said, “This safety mechanism can help to create the space for diplomatic efforts to address the underlying dispute, and we stand ready to develop it further.”
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Besides, these mechanisms are very effective when it comes to reducing tensions. For Example, during the cold war era – the US and Russia – also set up one, and it has been operating since then.
In August, tensions escalated quickly when Greek warships collided in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, but since last month after the Turkish ship left, the escalation has eased significantly. Both countries are now saying that they are ready for bilateral talks.
EU and Turkey
As the creation of a military hotline announcement from NATO came, the EU leaders also arrived in Brussels for a summit. So far, the bloc has backed its member states Greece and Cyprus against Ankara. Meanwhile, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, stated that Turkish provocations “had to stop.”
He categorically said that Ankara’s aggression, whether physical or rhetoric, will not be tolerated. Moreover, Emmanuel Macron, the French President, also announced support for Cyprus and Greece, while Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz took an extreme position and called for serious sanctions against Ankara. On the other hand, Turkish President Erdogan has continuously blamed the EU-member states of aggression. However, reportedly, in a letter to the European Union, he said that Ankara was ready for talks.
But Cyprus has been pressuring the EU and blocking its attempts to impose restrictions on Belarus, arguing that the bloc must first impose them Turkey.
Even though all the European states reject the recent elections result in Belarus in which the incumbent Alexander dominated all other candidates, Cyprus uses its veto to stop the sanctions. Last month, Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief of the EU, said it is very eminent to reach an agreement and warned that if they fail to do so, “our credibility is at stake” if an agreement could not be reached.”
