🔶 growing tension between Greece and Turkey; End of the "Blue Aegean Peace" era.
The tension between Greece and Turkey rose again; Greece criticizes the violation of its airspace, the establishment of Turkish marine parks, which Athens considers illegal, and the transfer of Turkish forces to the coastal areas.
On the other hand, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, demanded that Greece stop the "militarization" of its islands. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Piden sees this situation as a threat to his country's security.
Mary Bossi, professor emeritus of international security, warned of rising tensions and a threatening tone in both countries. According to him, regional and international conditions and uncertainty may intensify tensions.
At the same time, Greece focuses on military deterrence. At the end of August, this country signed a contract for one billion weapons with prisoners of Israel. Greece is getting an extensive air defense system based on the "Achilles Shield" program and has also increased investment in its arms industry. John Psaropoulos, a Greek analyst, sees these measures as defensive from Athens' point of view and believes that regional wars have created an atmosphere where war has become normal. According to him, Greece sees Turkey as a "potential Russia" and has long felt threatened by this country.
The difference between the two countries has a long history. Especially since Turkey's land attack on Cyprus in 1974, Athens and Ankara have been at odds with each other many times over various issues in the Aegean Sea.
Erdogan recently asked the international community to recognize the Republic of Northern Cyprus at the UN. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized as an independent state only by Turkey.
One of the most important issues between the neighboring countries of Greece and Turkey is the territorial waters. Greece believes that under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it can extend its territorial waters around the Aegean islands up to 12 nautical miles.