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With many of the world at the moment teetering on the point of struggle, or already at struggle within the case of Ukraine, why not toss one other go surfing the fireplace, proper? Popping out of left discipline, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a warning to Greece this week to demilitarize a number of the islands within the Aegean Sea the place they’ve not too long ago been increasing their army footprint. The Tyrant of Turkey insisted that he was “not joking” in making these calls for and clearly appeared to be implying that there can be army penalties if the Greeks don’t comply. Turkey’s place is predicated on agreements made between the 2 international locations following the Greco-Turkish wars and conflicts of 1922 by way of 1974. Turkey ceded the islands to Greece on the situation that they continue to be unarmed and impartial. Greece argues that Turkey has already been threatening army motion they usually have the best to defend themselves. With entry to the Black Sea already in dispute due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the stalled exports of grain from that area, one other naval battle in that area might be the very last thing we want. (Related Press)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday warned Greece to demilitarize islands within the Aegean, saying he was “not joking” with such feedback.
Turkey says Greece has been constructing a army presence on Aegean in violation of treaties that assure the unarmed standing of the islands. It argues that the islands have been ceded to Greece provided that they be saved demilitarized.
Greece argues that Turkey has intentionally misinterpreted the treaties concerning armed forces on its jap islands and says it has authorized grounds to defend itself following hostile actions by Ankara together with a long-standing menace of struggle if it extends its territorial waters.
Whereas Greece and Turkey are each technically allies, being members of NATO, the peace between them has at all times been uneasy at greatest. And as a lot as I hate the concept of agreeing with Erdogan about something today, he type of has a degree. The Greeks and the Turks have been preventing over the islands in that area, significantly Crete and Cyprus, for a really very long time. When the Turks lastly acknowledged Greek’s declare to the islands in query, it was with the peace of mind that the islands would stay largely unarmed. Greece’s resolution to place new army installations within the area was provocative in that sense.
The prospect of one more battle there raises further questions on NATO and its involvement within the Aegean Sea. NATO is meant to be an alliance towards exterior threats, primarily Russia and the previous Soviet Union. However what occurs if one NATO member assaults one other? Are all of us alleged to go to struggle towards Turkey in that occasion? Turkey and Greece each joined NATO on the identical time (in 1952) however that hasn’t managed to cease them from preventing a number of instances since then. If historical past provides us any path to observe, the remainder of the NATO nations would seemingly sit that struggle out and simply encourage each international locations to return to diplomacy.
This struggle dates again through most of recorded history, at the very least to the battles between the Byzantine Greeks and the Seljuk Turks. Extra precisely, it’s the newest model of the battle between the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. Some years in the past, a volcano below the floor of the ocean briefly pushed a small island up above the water. Greece and Turkey instantly started arguing over who would personal it earlier than it sank beneath the waves once more.
With luck, this confrontation will calm again down once more. Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are a lot larger issues for the time being. We don’t want any of our allies beginning (or restarting) wars whereas we’re making an attempt to maintain lids on all the pots we at the moment have boiling world wide. But when they do begin preventing, the world might be watching to see if Russia provides to leap in on Turkey’s facet and whether or not or not Erdogan would settle for Putin’s assist. If that’s the case, that ought to actually be the final straw by way of permitting Turkey to stay in NATO.
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