BLOG (PL): Turkish Violations of Greek Airspace (v2.0)
Recently, Turkey had the nerve to threaten Russia for violations of Turkish airspace. In fact, Turkey shot down a Russian plane several months ago for crossing, and remaining in Turkish airspace for about 45 seconds. Seriously? In 2015 Turkey violated Greek airspace over 130 times! Fortunately the Greek response was restrained and did not become violent. Can’t say the same for Turkey!
Now that Russia has violated Turkish airspace on TWO occasions the Turks are outraged that another country would dare do it to them! I say to Turkey, try respecting other countries’ airspace first and then your complaints might be taken more seriously.
Turkey is unfortunately displaying the mentality of all bullies. They pick on militarily weaker countries, but when a more powerful nation such as Russia dishes it out to them, they cry foul and whine and gripe. They obviously can’t take it. Turkey is very fortunate that the Russian response was quite restrained, this time around.
Sorry Turkey but nobody is coming to the rescue the next time this happens. However, use this encounter with Russia and learn from it. If you persist in the current war of words with Russia you may well end up with Russian troops in Ankara, or you’ll have to deal with devastating Russian missile attacks! My advice, “don’t shoot down any more Russian planes”!
And, who knows how long Greece and her allies will continue to tolerate violations of her airspace? If you continue to provoke, like the bullies you are, you may well give rise to hostilities that you may not be able to extricate yourselves from. And finally, such provocations aren’t likely to impress the European Union, and your application for membership. Of course, if Russia decides to intervene militarily, Turkey may not be able to join the EU because very little will remain of today’s Turkey. If you haven’t learned this already, learn your lesson now. Russia is not a country you want to trifle with!
Clearly, Turkey under Erdogan’s fascist Government is continuing to rattle its sabers and engage in provocative acts of aggression. Its latest foray into aggression is the violation of Greek airspace, again! Three days ago (on Friday, September 30th), a Turkish fighter jet, accompanied by two helicopters, violated Greek airspace over the Southeastern Aegean. Including 2015, Turkey has violated Greek airspace over 140 times. Every time, Greek fighter jets chased the intruders out of Greek airspace without a shot being fired.
What is one to make of all this? Are Turkish pilots so incompetent that they can’t figure out what their on-board instruments are telling them? Or, is Turkey testing the waters to determine how far they can push Greece? The latter is a more likely scenario, and such behavior raises to higher levels the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Why is Erdogan’s Government playing this dangerous game? One possible reason may be a dissatisfaction by the Turks of the terms of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. The treaty basically divided up the Eastern Mediterranean into Greek and Turkish sectors with clearly prescribed boundaries. Boundaries which Turkey appears to be challenging under Erdogan’s hawkish politics by continually violating Greek airspace. Is it possible that Turkey wants war with Greece in order to win back the territory Erdogan thinks Turkey lost under the Treaty of Lausanne?
Clearly, Erdogan has lost a sense of perspective. With all that’s happening in Syria and Iraq is this a good time to increase tensions in the region even more? Or, is he perhaps hoping that while the allies are concentrating on the war with ISIS they may not be ready, or willing, to intervene in hostilities between Turkey and Greece?
It is hard to read the mind of a dictator like Erdogan, but what has been clear with most dictators in the past, they all seem to need more power, and conquest seems to be a preferred strategy. Their strategy is to whip up nationalistic feelings in the nation, obtain the support of right wing fascists in the country, establish total control over the military, and then start to flex their military muscle (most likely against Greece). Given the state of disarray that Greece finds itself in at this time, I would predict that if I were Erdogan I would see this time as a good opportunity to strike.
I say to Greece and her allies, “remain vigilant because Erdogan may be another Hitler on the rise”! Constant violations of Greek airspace by Turkey may just be that, or they be a harbinger of something more ominous…..
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