Turkey set up a tense scene in Kasos

Actions to disengage from an incident that might become a really critical episode that will definitively undermine the Greek-Turkish rapprochement and result in the return of stress in Greek-Turkish relations are sought by Athens and the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, whereas the Italian ship Ievoli Relume continues its work south of Kasos and Karpathos.

The way in which out of the to date managed disaster shouldn’t be a straightforward activity as Turkey tried to reap the benefits of the investigations of the Italian ship so as to problem Greek sovereign rights, to cancel the demarcated Greek EEZ based mostly on the Greek-Egyptian Settlement and to consolidate the Turko-Libian Memorandum and thru it the doctrine of the Blue Homeland with the usurpation of all the Greek continental shelf within the Japanese Mediterranean by Turkey.

The Ministry of Overseas Affairs tried to maintain the tone low, diplomatic sources even burdened that there isn’t a stress in any respect, hoping that using communication channels would have an instantaneous impact and result in the settlement and administration of the nascent disaster. The stress within the area comes after a troublesome two days in Cyprus, the place the rhetorical outburst of the Turkish management and the wall erected by T. Erdoğan within the Cypriot area with the now official two-state place, are additionally testing the endurance of the Greek-Turkish strategy.

The Italian ship Ievoli Relume, nevertheless, is conducting surveys for the laying of a cable (for the Greece-Cyprus electrical interconnection) based mostly on authorized NAVTEX issued by the Heraklion station and regarding areas of Greek territorial waters and a small space at a distance of 6.5 nm. from the coasts of Karpathos which, nevertheless, falls inside the Greek demarcated EEZ based mostly on the Greek-Egyptian Settlement. It is usually at a degree that falls inside the space of ​​the potential extension of Greek territorial waters to 12 n.m. because the Conference on the Legislation of the Sea entitles.

It’s, maybe, the primary time that Turkey, each with the NAVTEX it issued and with the dispatch of warships within the area, immediately and on the sphere disputes the Greek-Egyptian Settlement for the partial delimitation of the EEZ. This Settlement was Greece's response to the Turkoliv Memorandum as with a global and legitimate interstate Settlement, based mostly on the provisions of the Legislation of the Sea, the delimitation of the EEZ between Greece and Egypt entered a wedge and overlaid the outdated Turkoliv Memorandum. Thus questioning in apply the unilateral deposition by Turkey of coordinates with the supposed exterior limits of the Turkish EEZ that left Greece with solely the territorial waters of 6 nm. on the islands and seized all the Greek continental shelf, baptizing it “Turkish”.

Indicative, nevertheless, of the stress prevailing within the area is that on Monday the Heraklion Station issued a NAVTEX (715/24) for the conclusion of an aeronautical train in a big space southwest of Kastelorizos immediately Wednesday and Turkey adopted with its personal NAVTEX (700/24) for an train southwest of Kastelorizos in an overlapping space for tomorrow Thursday, whereas Turkey issued one of many “established” NAVTEX (0699/24) demanding that the Dodecanese and different Greek islands be excluded from planning workout routines on the grounds that they’re topic to regime of supposed demilitarization.

What is occurring within the open waters of Kasos and Karpathos with Turkey's try to militarize the episode by sending Turkish warships that monitor the actions of the Ievoli Relume from a distance naturally brought on the Greek response by sending a frigate and a gunboat and a high-speed Coast Guard patrol boat to space whereas one other frigate is on standby at an island within the Dodecanese so as to rush to the realm if required.

This focus of naval forces going through one another has raised alarm as if there isn’t a disengagement settlement a particularly harmful state of affairs is created within the space.

Exit choices

The exit choices are particular: Turkey to just accept the Greek-Egyptian Settlement which cancels the Turkish-Libyan Memorandum and to not react to the investigations of Ievoli Relume at this level which is exterior Greek territorial waters however contained in the Greek EEZ. This chance ought to be dominated out because of the significance that Turkey attaches to the Blue Homeland Doctrine and due to course Mr. Erdogan wouldn’t need to be accused at residence of retreating from nationwide insurance policies so as to obtain appeasement from Greece and the EU .

The opposite possibility is identical Italian ship with the corporate's order to switch its analysis program and cease in Greek territorial waters with out continuing to the disputed space.

And the third possibility is for the corporate that manages the Italian vessel to rush and ask the Turkish Authorities for permission – notification of its operations within the particular space of ​​the Greek EEZ, so as to keep away from any harassment by the Turkish Warships.

The final two situations, nevertheless, will create critical adverse results to the detriment of our nation. As a result of both will probably be de facto accepted that Turkey can, via the specter of power, cancel the train of Greek sovereign rights, or Turkey will, via blackmail, obtain the “graying” of a demarcated space of ​​the Greek EEZ, which may probably flip into an space full sovereignty of Greece in a future extension of territorial waters. As a result of the submission of a request by the administration firm of the Italian ship to Turkey for the issuance of NAVTEX would result in this end result.

And a adverse precedent had existed within the earlier days when the Italian ship TELIRI (as revealed by Protothema.gr) so as to full the work of laying a telecommunications cable within the Japanese Mediterranean addressed not solely the Authorities of Greece and Cyprus for the NAVTEX challenge and the sequestration of the areas however so as to keep away from any harassment from Turkey, he additionally despatched a request to the Antalya Station. Who issued NAVTEX for areas regarding the Greek and Cypriot continental shelf in an effort to create fait accompli.

Now the vital level of this rising disaster can be immediately, when the Ievoli Relume investigations are anticipated to be accomplished, the place will probably be seen if the Italian vessel will proceed based mostly on the coordinates predicted by the Greek NAVTEX with out there lastly being a Turkish try to forestall it, or if he interrupted his mission earlier than passing to the disputed space or lastly requested permission from the competent Turkish authorities.

Supply: protothema.gr