Modern Turkey: Ottomanism vs Secularism

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  • Amphipolis
    Banned
    • Aug 2014
    • 1328

    From Ahval

    Headscarves, coverings now required to enter Hagia Sophia


    Visitors to the Hagia Sophia wearing clothing that exposes the legs or shoulders are now required to wear coveralls and female visitors must wear a headscarf to gain entrance, in line with typical dress codes for mosques, OdaTV reported on Friday.

    Vistors who do not meet the dress code requirements are charged 5 Turkish liras ($0.68) for a headscarf and 20 liras for the coveralls needed to enter the site, which was re-converted into a mosque from a museum in July.

    Visitors to mosques are typically required to wear modest, loose-fitting clothes. Women can wear trousers or full-length skirts or dresses, with long sleeves and a headscarf. Male visitors typically wear trousers.

    Erdoğan sought to reassure Christians in July that they would still be welcome at the site and said that the $15 entrance fee will be waived, since the Byzantine-era monument is no longer a museum but a mosque and an active place of worship.

    The Hagia Sophia’s doors will remain open “for all, local and foreign, Muslim and non-Muslim”, he said.

    Comment

    • Amphipolis
      Banned
      • Aug 2014
      • 1328

      From Daily Sahah

      Turkey warns of 'war' in East Med as tension mounts over Greece's aggressive actions

      Turkey has pointed to aggressive actions mounted by Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly the country's attempt to double its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 to 12 nautical miles, warning that such steps would be considered a "cause for war."

      "They cannot extend their territory by 12 miles. The decision taken by our Assembly years ago is valid. This could cause a war," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told news channel A Haber Saturday.

      Çavuşoğlu's warnings came after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced his government was planning to submit a bill to double Greece's territorial waters in the Ionian Sea facing Italy, Greek daily Ekathimerini reported.

      In the future, Greece could also extend its territorial waters in other maritime areas, the Greek prime minister added.

      Tensions have been running high for weeks in the Eastern Mediterranean as both Turkey and Greece have been conducting military maneuvers in the area.

      Greece disputes Turkey's current energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

      Turkey – the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean – has sent out drillships to explore energy reserves on its continental shelf.

      The country has been firm in declaring that Ankara and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have rights in the region. Ankara earlier said energy resources near the island of Cyprus must be shared fairly between the Greek Cypriot administration and the TRNC – which has issued Ankara's state oil company Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) with a license for exploration.

      Both countries have called on their allies for support, urging the international community to mediate between them. On Wednesday, Greece, along with France, Italy and the Greek Cypriot administration, launched a three-day joint military exercise in the area south of Crete, while Turkey conducted drills with the U.S. Navy nearby.

      The Turkish Defense Ministry also conducted its own drills with an Italian navy vessel on Tuesday. The same U.S. destroyer that took part in the exercises with Turkey staged air and sea maneuvers with the Greek navy south of Crete Monday.

      However, while many allies seek a balance between Turkey and Greece, France's bold support for Athens has been met with strong reactions in Ankara.

      Touching on France's support of Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean, Çavuşoğlu said France was pushing for European leadership. "France wants to create a security force in the European Union against NATO. NATO is one of the goals of the current escalation," he expressed.

      Greece previously made agreements with Egypt, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration. They are political moves against Turkey but not feasible, he noted on the recent Greece-Egypt maritime deal.

      "This is our continental shelf and the approval of both states (Greece-Egypt) to the agreement would not change much for us," he added.

      Early on Saturday, Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay urged the European Union to adopt a fair and just stance regarding the dispute between Turkey and Greece.

      In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Oktay said: "Turkey expects the EU to deliver a just stance: No one should expect Ankara to take one step back in terms of its rights."

      Oktay also asked: "If Greece's attempts to expand its territorial waters isn't a cause for war, then what is?" He emphasized that the country "will protect its rights regarding every cubic meter of the Eastern Mediterranean no matter what."

      "It is insincere for the EU to call for dialogue on the one hand and make other plans on the other regarding the activities we carry out in our own continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean," Oktay also said on his Twitter account.

      "We (Turkey) are well aware of the language of peace and diplomacy, but we will not hesitate to do what is necessary when it comes to protecting the rights and interests of Turkey. France and Greece are among those who know this best," he added.

      The EU is considering applying new sanctions on Turkey in response to its search for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean but wants to give diplomacy a chance first, bloc officials said Friday.

      Speaking following the second day of meetings between the 27 EU foreign affairs ministers, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said in a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Berlin that "restrictive measures" against Turkey may target assets like ships.

      Maas, on the other hand, said the new sanctions must be discussed at the EU summit in September while highlighting that constructive dialogue would be the "only way out" from the crises in the disputed region. He also underlined that the ties with Turkey were "more than strained" due to the problems in the region. The EU has already slapped sanctions on companies involved in the drilling, and Turkey's process to join the bloc's ranks is effectively on ice.

      In its latest move, the Turkish navy late Friday issued a new advisory, known as a Navtex, saying it would hold shooting exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean south of the town of Anamur in Mersin province.

      According to the notice, the drill will be held between Aug. 29 and Sept. 11. Anamur is located 73 kilometers (45 miles) north of the coast of the TRNC.

      Navtex or navigational telex is a maritime communications system that allows ships to inform other vessels about their presence in an area, as well as other information.

      On Thursday, Turkey issued Navtex notices for a gunnery exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean for Sept. 1-2 and to extend the energy exploration activities of the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel and accompanying Cengiz Han and Ataman ships in the region until Sept. 1.

      Following the advisories, Turkish Air Forces (TSK) intercepted six F-16 Greek fighters over the Mediterranean Sea, the Defense Ministry said Friday.

      According to the ministry, Greek fighters took off from Crete and approached the region where the Navtex was declared. On Aug. 27, the Turkish Air Forces’ radar systems detected six F-16 jets taking off from the island heading for Southern Cyprus, the ministry said in a statement.

      Turkish F-16 jets intercepted fighters approaching the area where Turkey issued a Navtex alert in the island of Cyprus’s southwest and warded them off after finding out that the jets belonged to Greece, it added.

      Turkish naval and air forces, the ministry added, would resolutely continue to protect Turkey’s rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

      Comment

      • Carlin
        Senior Member
        • Dec 2011
        • 3332

        Turkey’s power plays in the Mediterranean:
        ✔ Get 68% off NordVPN! Only $3.71/mo, plus you get an additional month FREE at https://nordvpn.com/caspianreport✔ USE COUPON CODE ► caspianreport #Mediterran...

        Comment

        • Amphipolis
          Banned
          • Aug 2014
          • 1328

          Another article from Daily Sabah showing how nice and considering people Turks are.

          No Yorgo! You should not fight for France
          by Hakkı Öcal

          Whatever the Rothschilds were aiming for when they made Emmanuel Macron the president of France, wasting Greek boys and changing political geography was probably not their main goals. Many French imperialists have noticed the vacuum in European Union leadership for almost two years, especially after the Brexit, infights in the German coalition and the governmental inexistence in Italy, but nobody would have thought that Macron would be using Greeks to attain EU leadership and destroy NATO.

          A 42-year-old, energetic and yappy president is a role model for those who dream about the old imperial past, but the realities of the 21st century are too harsh to allow them to keep dreaming of bygone days. When I think about the situation, a historical anecdote from the Ottoman palace comes to mind:

          The royal navy returns defeated from a campaign, and the sultan questions the admiral about why it lost. The poor man, knowing that one small disagreeable word could cost him his head, starts by saying that there were several impediments that led to the defeat.

          “Count them,” shouted the sultan.

          “One,” the admiral said, “the powder ran out. Two... ”

          The sultan interrupted: “It is OK. You don’t need another reason for the loss when you run out of powder.”

          So, there are multiple reasons for the impossibility of French leadership in Europe:

          One, France doesn’t have the funds the position requires. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has tons of money thanks to the cheap euro policy she forced the EU to follow for the past decade; so, she can pay the ransom for any country she wants. She practically bought every port, station, logistics corporation, airport, etc. Those that Merkel didn't buy are being purchased by the United States.

          Like the Ottoman sultan, we don't need any other reasons to say that France is not capable of EU leadership. But European leaders have been annoyed by Macron’s overreach, his veto about accession applications of some European countries, his push for a European army instead of NATO, his dismissal of many EU commissioners and handpicking French and Francophone bureaucrats for EU positions. Charles Michel, a Belgian politician, who has been shamelessly saying that Turkey should be given “rewards and punishments” because of its policy in the Aegean Sea, is now serving Macron as president of the European Council. European analysts have been accusing him of overreaching and not talking to other European leaders.

          We can count many other actions of Macron that have been vexing not only Europeans but also the U.S. Last year, Macron let Russia back into the Council of Europe and said Russia must be invited back into the Group of 7.

          Even if she is weakened internally, Merkel is still strong externally and does not want the Rothschilds’ boy to steal the leadership of the EU. Macron sees the only way to do it is to sabotage Merkel internationally. Greek adventurism seems to be the right tool to do it because Merkel simply wants to quell Greek ambitions. Last month, Merkel spoke with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Both sides agreed to get together and talk. However, Macron called Mitsotakis and Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi the next day, and the two countries signed a maritime deal to unite their exclusive economic zones – even though they do not have neighboring maritime borders. Merkel has been deceived in her international role.

          Greece, egged on by French provocations, tried to interfere with Turkey's oil and gas exploration ship – an attempt averted by Turkish warplanes. This close call for a skirmish prompted NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to call on both sides to establish mechanisms for conflict prevention in the region. Turkey was readily looking to reach the negotiation table and thus accepted NATO’s call. Greece first accepted it and announced later that it was not going to discuss anything with Turkey.

          Strangely enough, the same day France announced it was sending its aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean. Guess what, Mitsotakis was on the phone with Macron right after Stoltenberg’s statement.

          Macron must be thinking that this will show Europeans and Turkey who is the boss in Europe – not Merkel, not U.S. President Donald Trump, surely not U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but him.

          Macron cannot fill those shoes because, as the whole world knows, he doesn’t have the financial support to maintain his threat of war by just keeping an aircraft carrier in the region. But Greece can.

          It's not that Athens' treasuries are brimming with money, but they have a politician at the helm of the Greek ships whose great-grand uncle had sent the Greek army to invade Anatolia 101 years ago. Then-Prime Minister Eleftherios Kyriakos Venizelos sent 100,000 Greek soldiers to their untimely deaths. Mitsotakis was named after Venizelos but unfortunately, their similarities do not seem to end there. Kyriakos seems willing to take the same reckless route and risk Greek youth, like his namesake.

          But times have changed. Young Greek men now know that Turkey is very much willing to sit down and discuss how to share oil and gas in the Mediterranean. They do not have to fight for a French leader who wants them to die for his zealous ambitions of European leadership. The former Kyriakos had been acting on the provocation of the British; the latter seems to be willing to sacrifice them for the French.

          But I hope Yorgo knows better.

          Comment

          • Amphipolis
            Banned
            • Aug 2014
            • 1328

            A more forward article on neo-Ottomanism from YeniSafak

            Fear of Turkey’ is spreading like wildfire If Turkey is back, others will go! Anti-Erdoğan sentiment has nothing to do with internal policy. The East Mediterranean belongs to Turkey!

            by İbrahim Karagül



            The major power shifts we had not seen for centuries caused massive power gaps in our region. Who were these gaps to be filled by?

            The U.S.? France? European Union countries? Israel? Or the Arab regimes under the U.S. and Israel’s control?

            None of them. In an era which Western civilization is regressing, the centuries-old power monopoly has been broken, and the new powers that confront them are taking to the stage, none of them.

            If Turkey is back, others will go.

            Because Turkey is back. It has returned with all its might, intellect, memory, and claims.

            If Turkey is back, then this means others will go. Whenever we returned, whenever we achieved a rise, others regressed and weakened. This is because both our existence and struggle has been with the most powerful.

            Today we can see who will go, who will have to leave the Mediterranean, which powers will leave our region. This withdrawal is going to become much more dramatic.

            You will see how all the countries you think are very powerful will become ineffective, one by one. Europe is going to become weaker, the artificial states in the region will become even more useless. You will see.

            That ‘front’ was going to keep Turkey on US, EU, Israel axis.

            As all this was being calculated, as the power equation was being re-established, they kept Turkey outside of every plan. This is because they always feared it. They were afraid of it waking up, taking action, and resetting all these games.

            Hence, they set up in advance within Turkey the structures that would control the political mind and social tendencies. They gathered these parties and terrorist organizations on a common front.

            Their aim was to have this new front control the local public in accordance with the U.S., Europe, and Israel’s plans, and they would then re-plan that power gap while succeeding to keep Turkey outside. The game against our country was set both across the region and within.

            Those who abandoned Turkey, those cooperating with West are going to face great disappointment.

            All of those who abandoned Turkey on all the fronts where it is putting up a fight are part of the West’s new power map plan. We call this betrayal. Political history says the same. We are witnessing another of the tragic events we have been witnessing in this region for centuries.

            Their abandonment, their opposition against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has nothing at all to do with internal politics. Their political language, their position, their form of opposition is in complete harmony with the U.S., Europe, and Israel’s new structuring in our region. Everyone who looks carefully will see this fact.

            This is the reason behind their fear, panic.

            But it did not at all turn out as they expected. Nor will it ever. Despite all their efforts outside and within, despite all their threats, Turkey is going to be the only country to fill the power vacuum in this region. Turkey, as a country that has taken action after a century-long hiatus, is going to make their worst fears come true.

            This is the reason behind France’s panic. This is the reason behind Greece’s panic. This is the reason underlying the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-Saudi Arabia front’s hostility. This is why Israel established the Arab front against Turkey. This is the reason why they are bringing all their undertakers in the region are against Turkey.

            You will be applauded in line with your hostility towards Erdoğan

            Erdoğan and Turkey are the internal policy matter of all countries in Europe. The matter of the competition in the U.S. between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is also Erdoğan and Turkey. This is also the case in Israel.

            Some Arab regimes are applauded by the West to the extent of their opposition to Erdoğan and Turkey. This is how they reinforce their power domains.

            The more those within are against Erdoğan, the more they think they will be favored by the West. Those among us take their positions based on “stopping Turkey.”

            This fact alone is an overt proclamation of the sort of power Turkey has become.

            They were not expecting this much. The last weapon in their hands has been taken. They are stunned.

            The West is witnessing the rise of a power at a magnitude it never guessed or expected. They always feared “Turkey’s awakening.” But they never thought that this would be so quick, so sudden and determined, that it would be so effective, that Turkey would act so boldly. They are stunned.

            Turkey closed off in a matter of a few years only all the areas the West could possibly intervene. The weakest field was economy, and that too was overcome with the natural gas find, and those that are further going to be discovered and announced. Their strongest weapon has been taken from their hands. It will very soon be understood that the front they established within will also be of no use.

            This is because the power momentum is on Turkey’s side. All world-scale developments are supporting and strengthening Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkey is bolstering this field with its millennia of wealth of political history in the region.

            Just look at these guinea pigs, hitmen they’re unleashing on us!

            From the West, they unleashed on Turkey Greece as a guinea pig. From the East, they are unleashing on Turkey Armenia as another pawn.

            In the south, they unleashed against Turkey the UAE, the Egyptian regime, and Saudi Arabian administration. They built an Israel-Arab front led by UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

            They unleashed organizations such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Daesh against Turkey. The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C) and other organizations are also on the same front with these two organizations. Those who designed all this and those who established the “Stop Turkey Front” within are one and the same powers.

            This is Turkey’s biggest showdown.

            They started the greatest Mediterranean-based showdown. This is the biggest siege, attack operation after World War I. However, this is also Turkey’s biggest showdown a century later.

            Just wait and see the real fight if a gas reserve is announced soon in the Mediterranean. They will come to plunder it with all their despicableness. That is when they will see more clearly “what Turkey is made of.”

            Turkey currently has a single fight against all Western countries and their partners in our region and within our country.

            Even if Turkey is indeed harboring fantasies of an empire, what can you do about it!

            We achieved in the last four years what they said we “cannot accomplish in four decades.” Just think what more will change and how they will change with such speed and such concentration of power.

            We are watching the West collapse. We are witnessing Turkey rise. This is the summary of it all. Every new development and change will be along this axis.

            French President Emmanuel Macron apparently accused Turkey of harboring “fantasies of an empire”!

            Even if this is the case…

            What can you do about it…

            The colonial era is over. That order is collapsing. We are soon going to see collapses happen one after another. This must be what they say is “the end of history” for the West.

            Comment

            • Liberator of Makedonija
              Senior Member
              • Apr 2014
              • 1595

              One of the members of Erdogan's inner circle is from Skopje
              I know of two tragic histories in the world- that of Ireland, and that of Macedonia. Both of them have been deprived and tormented.

              Comment

              • JPMKD
                Member
                • Mar 2016
                • 101

                Do any of you think this will actually come to a limited conflict with Turkey and Greece? Seems to have intensified quick.


                Also,
                Pozdrav all! haven't on in forever
                Not a Northadonian

                Comment

                • Amphipolis
                  Banned
                  • Aug 2014
                  • 1328

                  A series of maps showing each side's claims









                  Last edited by Amphipolis; 09-12-2020, 06:59 AM.

                  Comment

                  • Amphipolis
                    Banned
                    • Aug 2014
                    • 1328

                    Smaller Aegean island claimed now by Turkey, under the argument that in Greek-Turkish treaties are not mentioned by name but just as nearby islands (of the main islands).

                    Comment

                    • Amphipolis
                      Banned
                      • Aug 2014
                      • 1328

                      Why did the Ottoman Empire and Turkey lag behind ?

                      A very interesting, funny, fast, essential Turkish video (press CC English subtitles)

                      Comment

                      • Amphipolis
                        Banned
                        • Aug 2014
                        • 1328

                        Greece militarizing Aegean islands close to Turkey's mainland poses national security threat

                        (From DailySabah)

                        Increasing tensions between Athens and Ankara in the Eastern Mediterranean have resurfaced other unsolved problems rooted in the Aegean Sea, including the threat raised against Turkey by the militarization of eastern Aegean Islands

                        A tangle of jurisdictional disputes over the definition of air and sea rights, growing tensions over offshore gas and oil exploration and the militarization of certain Greek Islands in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean seas have been plaguing Turkish-Greek relations. Amid simmering tensions, experts point to the fact that the militarization of islands close to the Turkish mainland poses a threat to Ankara’s national security.

                        An arm of the Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea is studded with more than 2,000 islands and islets, some of which lie within 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) of the Turkish mainland. However, even though islands close to Turkey were required to have a demilitarized status under international treaties due to the overriding importance of these islands for Turkey's security, Greece has armed 18 out of 23 islands in the Aegean Sea. Sixteen of these; namely Lesvos (Lesbos-Midilli), Chios (Sakız), Samos (Sisam), Icaria (Ahikerya), Lemnos (Limni), Samothrace (Semadirek), Karpathos (Kerpe), Kastellorizo (Megisti-Meis), Rhodes (Rodos), Symi (Sömbeki), Tilos (İleki), Kos (İstanköy), Kalymnos (Kelemez), Leros (İleryöz), Patmos (Batnoz) and Psara (İpsara); have a demilitarized status.

                        “Greece is illegally militarizing these islands under the pretext of a ‘Turkish threat.' Yet the argument of this threat is completely groundless as Turkey until today neither attacked any island nor occupied these,” Cihat Yaycı, former Turkish navy rear admiral and head of the Maritime and Global Strategies Center at Bahçeşehir University, told Daily Sabah. “These islands are militarized not against a Turkish threat but to threaten Turkey.”

                        Underlining that Lemnos is just across the Çanakkale Strait, also known as the Dardanelles, Yaycı pointed out that the arming of Lesvos (Midilli), Chios (Sakız), Samos (Sisam), Kos (İstanköy) and Kastellorizo (Megisti-Meis) also poses a serious threat to Turkey.

                        Starting from the Treaty of London in 1913, the militarization of the eastern Aegean Islands was restricted and their demilitarized status was confirmed in the Treaty of Lausanne signed in 1923. The Lausanne Treaty established a political balance between the two countries by harmonizing vital interests including those in the Aegean.

                        The 1947 Treaty of Paris, which ceded the Dodecanese islands from Italy to Greece, also confirmed their demilitarized status.

                        However, Greece argues that the 1936 Montreux Convention on Turkish Straits should be applied in this case, while Ankara says Greece's obligation to disarm the islands remains unchanged under the Montreux Convention as well as there is no provision that differentiates it from the Treaty of Lausanne on the issue.

                        Greece gradually began to militarize the islands after 1960 and then fastened the pace after the Cyprus crisis of 1974.

                        “Greece continuously violated the status of non-militarization, which must be considered as a direct threat to Turkish security. The great powers and the signatories of the relevant treaties dictated that those islands should be demilitarized for safeguarding and protecting Turkey’s interests,” Cem Gürdeniz, a retired admiral, told Daily Sabah. “But what we see today, is that 18 out of 23 islands are heavily militarized.”

                        “These treaties only allow small portions of internal security forces in order to maintain domestic security in the islands. However, the forces already deployed on the islands are not defensive but offensive. Long-range artillery, warplanes deployment, naval bases are the main offensive categories of available military hardware to be used against Turkey’s military security,” Gürdeniz added, elaborating that the treaties requiring a demilitarized status of the islands do not allow military aircraft and warships to be operated or deployed within the airspace and territorial waters of these entities.

                        “Yet, we know that they are deploying F-16s, guided-missile fast attack craft, and they are supplying their submarines. Their military aircraft can also utilize the islands for takeoffs and landings,” Gürdeniz said, underlining that the islands can also be used for surface-to-surface missile deployment in case of crisis or war, which is a grave threat for Turkey.

                        Yaycı also pointed out that Athens deployed Russian-made S-300 missiles on the Greek island of Crete (Girit), which are to be upgraded next week by Moscow. “NATO has to see this, yet nobody is raising its voice.” Saying that this was clearly constituting double standards, Yaycı reminded that NATO, the European Union and the United States sided against Ankara when Turkey decided to purchase the Russian S-400 missile defense systems.

                        According to data from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)-based Diplomatic Strategy Research Center, Greece has an army division on the islands of Lesvos (Midilli) and Rhodes (Rodos), and a brigade on the islands of Chios (Sakız) and Symi (Sömbeki), as well as several infantry battalions, tank battalions and anti-aircraft battalions on these islands.

                        Greece has 7,500 soldiers on the islands of Chios (Sakız) and Symi (Sömbeki), commandos on the island of Rhodes (Rodos), six army bases, two naval bases and two helicopter bases on the islands.

                        Yaycı argued that Turkey through both diplomatic and legal channels had to declare to the United Nations, NATO and the signatories of the Lausanne and Paris treaties that it is being threatened by the militarization of these islands, that treaties are being violated and that the ceding conditions were removed. Accordingly, Turkey also must demand that the status of the islands be reverted in line with the conditions of the treaties.

                        The rearming of the demilitarized Aegean islands has always been a subject of contention between the two countries, especially after the 1960s when relations between Ankara and Athens turned sour over the Cyprus question and Greece's extended claims over Aegean airspace and territorial waters. Turkey's first reaction to Greece's arming of the islands in the Aegean was a diplomatic note given to Athens on June 29, 1964.

                        Apart from the militarization of eastern Aegean islands, the threat of extending Greek territorial waters beyond their present width of 6 miles, a 10-mile "national air space" over territorial waters of 6 miles and abuse of the flight information region (FIR) responsibility are the main underlying causes of the Turko-Greek conflict in the Aegean.

                        ‘EU will side with Greece against Turkey’

                        Turkey says the EU unfairly backs Greece in a maritime dispute that stretches back decades but only gained added importance with the discovery of large natural gas deposits in recent years in the Eastern Mediterranean.

                        Disregarding Turkey’s arguments and concerns, members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday expressing "full solidarity" with Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration against Turkey's actions in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Turkish Foreign Ministry in a written statement on the same day said the decision was taken solely for the sake of solidarity among EU members and to serve the "selfish" interests of some member countries. EU leaders are set to hold a summit on Sept. 24-25 to discuss the regional tensions.

                        Recounting the words of European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on Sept. 16 that nothing could justify “Turkey’s intimidation of Greece and Cyprus” in the region, Yaycı said that the EU already condemned Turkey. “It is clear that the EU will side with Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration; Turkey should ... not expect a fair solution but rather focus on its own national interests while adopting a national policy for the region,” Yaycı stressed.

                        He also touched upon the "Sevilla Map," which provides the basis for Greece's maximalist claim and was named by a professor from Sevilla University. The map asserts that Turkey has maritime jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean only around the Gulf of Antalya, a tiny area.

                        He said that although it was confirmed by the EU that the map has no official value and was not prepared by the union, the map is often being used by EU-related sources as a basis for Greek claims and by several European agencies. Saying that this is unacceptable, Yaycı urged the bloc to leave behind this contradiction and to openly declare that the EU does not recognize the Sevilla Map.

                        ICJ no solution

                        After calling on the EU to issue sanctions against Turkey, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in August during an interview with CNN reiterated a proposal to refer the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, if bilateral dialogue and negotiations do not yield any results.

                        Saying that Athens’ recent call to resort to the court is only for the dispute over the continental shelf and not to solve issues threatening Turkey’s security and protecting its rights, Yaycı underlined that there is a large range of other issues besides the continental shelf that need to be resolved.

                        “Greece does not want to go to court for the militarized islands, it does not want to go to court for the territorial waters or the airspace disputes. Athens wants to go to court for the issues it prefers and ignores issues it does not prefer. It does not even sit at the negotiating table for issues that are contradicting its interests,” Yaycı said, arguing that if Greece does not negotiate on these issues, Turkey either should not sit at the table for maritime zones.

                        “This is Turkey’s right, why should it be an issue of bargain?” he added.

                        In 1976, Greece unilaterally brought the dispute over the continental shelf before the ICJ and the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), Yaycı noted, saying that the court rejected the Greek application. He explained that the consent of both parties is needed to apply to the court and that a series of negotiations had to be made priorly. The court expected the parties to have agreed on some issues and to put forth their thesis.

                        The UNSC in its Resolution 395, adopted in 1976, called upon both countries to do everything in their power to reduce tensions in the Aegean and asked them to resume direct negotiations over their differences and appealed to them to ensure that these negotiations result in mutually acceptable solutions while the court in the same year determined the Aegean continental shelf beyond the territorial waters of the two littoral states as "areas in dispute" to which both countries claim rights of exploration and exploitation.

                        The former admiral highlighted that one of the problems of the court is that decisions do not prove jurisprudence, which means that past court decisions do not serve as an example. “Therefore, we cannot say that a similar decision was given previously and that the same would apply for Turkey’s cause. These are political courts, not judicial ones,” he said, stating that Greece with its diplomacy in the international arena could easily influence these courts while international maritime law similarly provides little help in the dispute.

                        “There are no established norms; those who raise their voice more than the other, are accepted to be right,” Yaycı added.

                        Comment

                        • Amphipolis
                          Banned
                          • Aug 2014
                          • 1328

                          Another neo-Ottoman article from Yenisafak.
                          Hmm... Greece is getting ready.

                          Turkey is shocking all those who attempt a siege. Well, whose side are you on?
                          İbrahim Karagül

                          For the first time after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey is consolidating power. It activated its political, cultural, and geopolitical claims and heritage. Its dusted itself off and rediscovered its political legacy.

                          It thawed all the claims and cases that were frozen, postponed since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. It enforced everything that was taken from it, removed from its area of influence and taken hostage.

                          From front to center, from tutelage to national: Turkey is now a force, a country that has claims

                          Turkey reclaimed its will, which was silenced up until now with pressure from the U.S. and Europe. It returned from the front to the center, from tutelage to local, it returned from Western capitals to Anatolia, from borrowed thoughts to its own ideas.

                          Turkey realized that it could build its ideology solely with its own essence. It realized that this ideology could be identified by none other than itself.

                          It realized that it could not survive with the mentality of the 20th-century, that being doomed to another 20th century would destroy it, that those whom it thought were “allies” are targeting the homeland, and that they are the ones posing the greatest threat.

                          Turkey is now a power country that has claims.

                          What more could Turkey have done? Should it have surrendered?

                          What should it have done, what else could this country have done! Should it have kneeled, surrendered and blindly accepted everything that was about to transpire? Should it have agreed to every role that was cast for it? Should it have accepted every destruction?

                          Should its state power, its political ideology, economy, intelligence organization, and military presence have been identified in Western capitals again? Should it have surrendered to their mercy, to their will?

                          Should Turkey have considered the roles assigned by them as “national” and thus deceived itself and its people for a few more decades?

                          Should it have been a voluntary soldier for the U.S., Europe, and the Atlantic axis’ 21st-century order? Should it have mobilized for Israel’s security?

                          Should it have been a hired gun so that the region could be invaded, occupied, and looted? Should Turkey have attached itself here while the West’s centuries-long colonialism is being reformatted?

                          Threat at our borders. Because we became Seljuks. Because we became Ottomans. Because this is our history

                          It would never have been able to escape even if it did comply with all of this. Turkey was the main target. All because it became the Seljuks, it became the Ottomans, because it had shaped this region for centuries, it fought against the Crusades, and it fought against the West for centuries. This is our history, this is our legacy.

                          It was trying to be controlled, weakened, and downsized to prevent it succeeding once again. This was the plan, and the plan had come knocking on our borders.

                          The siege from the Iraqi and Syrian borders, the “terror corridor” map expanded from the Iranian border to the Mediterranean, the attempts to corner it in the East Mediterranean, the anti-Turkey fronts established in the Aegean, the drills conducted in the Mediterranean, all the operations to establish an Arab front through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia were made to this end.

                          On that day Turkey took a dagger to the heart. Foreign armies were going to march to Anatolia

                          The danger on our borders was moved into the country on the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Turkey was daggered in the heart. The biggest internal invasion operation in history was attempted on that day. This invasion was controlled by Turkey’s “allies.”

                          On that day, Turkey was going to be destroyed; it was going to be silenced for another century. On that day, the threat on our borders was going to flow in; foreign armies were going to march into Anatolia. On that day, the tutelage was going to turn into complete invasion, complete control, leaving behind a Turkey divided according to the new world order.

                          Were we supposed to say ‘Aye aye sir, your wish is our command’!

                          What else should this country have done? Should it have agreed to all this?

                          What was it supposed to say to those who told it, “Stop seeking natural gas in the Black Sea, do not look for oil in the Mediterranean, withdraw your fleet to your bases, we are going to establish a military buildup on the Syrian border so do not speak up, our men are going to run Turkey, kneel and surrender”?

                          Was it supposed to say, “Aye aye sir, your wish is our command”? No! Never! It could not have done this. It would not have done this. Submission would have meant suicide.

                          It did what it had to do. It turned within, it returned to its essence, its history, its mind, its power. It reclaimed its historical theories, claims, and legacy.

                          We resumed operations to build strength, to build defense, to build our awareness

                          This was the great defense; it was the only defense. Turkey knew this. This is how it repelled every threat in this region for a thousand years. It had the experience.

                          It knew that this was the only path to survival. Turkey launched operations to build extraordinary strength, defense, and awareness. It expanded its defense lines, resistances lines into the depths of the region.

                          It established resistance lines with its brethren in the Caucasus, in Libya, in our southern regions. It overturned all the plans that were set to siege it. It did whatever was necessary to keep the southern, western and eastern gates open.

                          Turkey shocked all who came to siege

                          Turkey questioned the global system and became one of the main actors of the new world order, while it also awakened the region’s dynamics. It activated its region-building power.

                          Those who came to siege Turkey were shocked. They had not predicted such power activity in such a short time. A homeland axis, the “Turkey axis” was established.

                          The “leader like President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, country like Turkey” profile was now turning into a political wave that influences all countries and masses from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts.

                          An unholy front established within

                          But they did not stop. This time they carried the fronts established on our border’s zero point inside the country. They established an “anti-Turkey” front veiled by anti-Erdoğan sentiment.

                          They united the leftists, rightists, Islamists, liberals, nationalists, terrorist organizations, all individuals, groups, parties and organizations influenced by the West under a single roof. This structure is now working together to “topple Erdoğan.” But what they really want is to destroy and stop Turkey.

                          They never supported Turkey; they abandoned it

                          Neither the plan to topple Erdoğan, nor stop Turkey belongs to them. This is a case tasked to those claiming that “The first thing the new administration in the U.S. will do is dismiss Erdoğan,” and those saying that “We will strengthen the opposition in order to oust Erdoğan.”

                          We recovered for the first time since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But they abandoned Turkey. Similar to the rise of the Seljuks, the rise of the Ottomans, we are now watching Turkey rise. We are lending it strength. But they do not support Turkey. On the contrary, they are against it.

                          They never supported Turkey in Libya, in Syria, in Karabakh, in the East Mediterranean, or in the Aegean. They did not give it strength. On the contrary, they sucked its power from within, and tried to weigh it down.

                          The ‘Parallel State’ is finished; some are now pursuing a ‘Parallel Turkey’.

                          All fronts failed – just as this front will too. We are going to witness such events that they are going to be forgotten in the front they’ve imprisoned themselves in.

                          Groups among those who took action for a “parallel Turkey” after the “parallel state” project collapsed, and those who identify themselves as conservative and nationalist should re-evaluate their position.

                          All Turkey’s fights are now global. Even its internal policy. This is the only truth determining where we stand, because no political plan, personal ideology or opinion is above the Turkey ideology.

                          Believe in Turkey!

                          Every report to come from the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Aegean, from the depths of the region will boost Turkey’s strength.

                          We are obliged to remove the wool over our eyes, our cognizance, our identity and stand on the “Turkey axis,” and give it strength. This is the showdown of centuries. It is the summary of all the struggles we have put up in this region for the last millennium.

                          Do not allow those who are making efforts within to cause desperation, hopelessness, those holding on to their old positions, those causing psychological frustration succeed. Believe in Turkey!

                          Comment

                          • Amphipolis
                            Banned
                            • Aug 2014
                            • 1328

                            Military power of Turkey comparing to the other Balkan countries. This is interesting (and quite different to the times of Balkan Wars). It suggests that if the rest of the World did not exist, Turkey would be able to win all the Balkan countries even if they allied against it.

                            Turkey 100
                            Romania 26,6
                            Greece 25,5
                            Bulgaria 5,8
                            Serbia 4,8
                            Croatia 4,2
                            Slovenia 3,1
                            Albania 1,3
                            Bosnia 0,9
                            North Macedonia 0,6
                            Montenegro 0,3
                            Kosovo 0,3

                            Comment

                            • Amphipolis
                              Banned
                              • Aug 2014
                              • 1328

                              An article from Yenisafak, suggesting Turkish Cypriots will re-elect Akinci tonight, thus slapping Erdogan (who doesn't like slaps). Still, we'll have to wait.

                              Cyprus is slipping through our fingers... Urgent measures required!
                              Yusuf Kaplan

                              Presidential elections were held last week in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Cypriots will head to the polls again for a second round today to determine the most critical decision in the history of the TRNC: The TRNC is either going to declare its loyalty to Turkey or burn its bridges with it!

                              Unfortunately, the second option seems to be more likely. Current President Mustafa Akıncı, who received 29.60 percent of the votes and wants part of TRNC territory to be given to the Greek Cypriots, and Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhüman, who received about 22 percent of votes and advocates a federation with the Cypriot Greeks, are going to establish an alliance. Erhüman stated he will be supporting Akıncı in the second round.

                              In this case, Akıncı’s election victory seems certain. We may lose Cyprus unless Turkey takes urgent measures.

                              Are we aware that for decades we, as the Republic of Turkey, have been following short-sighted and useless Cyprus policies that will endanger both Turkey’s and Cyprus’ future?

                              It seems that the shape that future decades will take are going to be determined by Cyprus and the events in its vicinity!

                              However, are we aware that the developments taking place in Cyprus are one-by-one lining up the events which will result in Cyprus “completely slipping through our fingers”?

                              We are losing Cyprus people, let us see this already!

                              THERE ARE TURKS IN CYPRUS WHO WANT TURKEY TO WITHDRAW FROM THE ISLAND!

                              For almost two years now, a formation named UniteCyprusNow is carrying out activities that will endanger both the TRNC and Turkey’s security.

                              The Kıbrıs Postası (Cyprus Post) newspaper published an article on Jan. 25, 2018, about this formation. Here is a long quote from this article that will send chills down your spine:

                              “The Unite Cyprus Now Group called on all Cypriots to join them at the Lendra/Lokmacı crossing at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, and raise their voices against radicalism and division.

                              The group’s written statement says one of the most saddening manifestations of radicalism was experienced yesterday. Attention was drawn to a group that attacked an Africa newspaper and its journalists, causing harm. It was said they climbed to the roof of the parliament and raised a flag belonging to one of the tribes of the Ottoman Empire.

                              The statement that pointed out President Mustafa Akıncı encountered a verbal attack, while CTP Deputy Deoğuş Derya encountered a both verbal and physical attack as she was taking oath, added the following:

                              ‘What happened yesterday is the result of division. In the event that this division continues, the Green Line is increasingly going to turn into a border with Turkey, further increasing Turkey’s influence in Cyprus. Population flow into the island is going to continue uncontrollably, and the conditions and tensions in Turkey will reflect on the Island.

                              ‘Radicalism will increase in both communities, threatening our chances of establishing a common, stable, secure, prosperous future for new generations that is based on the rule of law, democracy, tolerance, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.

                              ‘A federal solution alone will render Cyprus secure and independent in the true sense, while ensuring the rule of law. The assumption that the status quo is safe and sustainable in our region, which is rife with wars, conflicts, and terrorism, is a dangerous mistake.’”

                              THEY’RE GOING TO ATTACK TURKEY FROM CYPRUS!

                              I had chills when reading the statement in this article.

                              There are Turks in Cyprus who want Turkey to withdraw from Cyprus! The president says that we should give TRNC land to the Greek Cypriots!

                              Truly unbelievable!

                              The sole strength that will ensure Cyprus remains with us is the awareness of a common civilization, culture and history. Without this awareness of a common civilization, culture and history, Cyprus will sooner or later slip through our fingers – even if we have complete control over Cyprus.

                              This is our current state. We have military presence in Cyprus, but no cultural presence. Let it be known that we have lost Cyprus culturally.

                              Thus, in order to win Cyrus again culturally, we need to develop an awareness of a common civilization, culture and history, and boost the economic and social welfare level of our brethren in the TRNC above that of the Greek Cypriots.

                              Thus, it is clear that Cyprus – which we already lost culturally – may slip through our finger with the imperialists’ fait accompli, and that the people in TRNC will not object to this, and in fact, they will even start to demand this.

                              You can now read the article published in the Kıbrıs Postası newspaper through this lens.

                              In brief: First, they are going to ensure that Turkey is distanced from Cyprus – which we already did with our own hands. Cyprus is culturally closer, not to us but to the Greeks. If there is anybody who says Turkey has cultural presence in Cyprus, then “good luck” to them.

                              Second, imperialists are going to shape their future half-century and century-long strategies through Cyprus! They are going to attack us from Cyprus!

                              We are culturally losing Cyprus!

                              If we do not want to lose it physically soon – which will result in Turkey’s division, God forbid – we must urgently take the necessary measures before it is too late.

                              Comment

                              • tchaiku
                                Member
                                • Nov 2016
                                • 786

                                Originally posted by Amphipolis View Post
                                Military power of Turkey comparing to the other Balkan countries. This is interesting (and quite different to the times of Balkan Wars). It suggests that if the rest of the World did not exist, Turkey would be able to win all the Balkan countries even if they allied against it.

                                Turkey 100
                                Romania 26,6
                                Greece 25,5
                                Bulgaria 5,8
                                Serbia 4,8
                                Croatia 4,2
                                Slovenia 3,1
                                Albania 1,3
                                Bosnia 0,9
                                North Macedonia 0,6
                                Montenegro 0,3
                                Kosovo 0,3
                                Did not know Romania had a bigger army than Greece.

                                Comment

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