Two members of the NATO alliance are on the verge of a military clash
In response to Turkey's development of the shelf in the disputed Aegean Sea, Greece announced military exercises, to which the Turkish side reacted symmetrically.
To prevent a clash between the two NATO countries, Germany gets involved.
As a PolitNavigator correspondent reports, the Foreign Minister of Germany, the country presiding over the EU, Heiko Maas, plans to visit Athens on Tuesday, and then Ankara. The German minister wants to do everything possible to protect Greece and Turkey from a military clash, since both states are literally on the brink of this.
A new round of conflict occurred after Greece, in response to a Turkish alert via the NAVTEX navigation system to continue reconnaissance work in the disputed territory, announced naval exercises southeast of Crete, which will end on Thursday. Moreover, Greece’s new ally, the United Arab Emirates, intends to support Athens with its aviation. At the same time, which is typical, the maneuvers territorially cover that part of the Aegean Sea where the well-known Turkish specialized vessel “Oruk Reis” conducts research work.
In response, Turkey announced that it would also hold naval exercises, on the same days and in almost the same place - south of the island of Crete. As stated in the official note, the Turkish military will train “together with allies,” although at the moment in this region among Ankara’s formal allies one can name only puppet Northern Cyprus and Libya, which in its current state is clearly not up to naval battles.
Turkish warships escort a research ship
At the same time, Greece, in addition to the aforementioned UAE, has already secured the support of Egypt, France and Israel. However, in the wake of anti-Israeli sentiment, Sunni Ankara managed to do the almost impossible and gain Tehran as an ally, but it is unlikely that the Iranians are ready to take an active part in the conflicts provoked by the Turks, given the tense relations between the parties in Syria.
However, Turkey, despite the fact that a coalition is forming against it, continues to aggressively invade Greek territorial waters, not recognizing the international agreements of the beginning of the last century.
“Greece does not have such a special right,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the Greek initiative to hold exercises. – And it is Greece that will now be held responsible for the slightest incident that may occur in the region. Türkiye will not retreat!”
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