Ankara ups proclivities ahead of NATO Summit

Ankara has proceeded to successive provocations just ahead of the fifth round of the NATO Summit, while Athens prepares to respond to a possible stage-show by Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he is likely to raise the issue of demilitarization of the Aegean islands.

Instead of lowering tones before the NATO Summit, the Turkish side is upping the ante with both inflammatory statements and threats by Turkish officials or dangerous moves in the Aegean.

Specifically, Ankara is trying to challenge Greek sovereign rights in the field and to “cut” the Aegean in two as through a NOTAM it illegally blocked areas designated for search and rescue and environmental protection exercises for a month.

Is Erdogan preparing a show for the NATO summit?

At the same time, Erdogan seems to be preparing to raise a number of issues at the NATO Summit, opening up all issues that the Turkish side has mustered.

According to the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, Erdogan plans to layout at the Madrid Summit.

In particular, it seems he will raise the following issues:

1. Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO accession
2. Opening of a corridor for Ukrainian and Russian cereals (under Turkish oversight)
3. Russia-Ukraine War
4. Greek provocations (demilitarization of islands)
5. Global financial crisis
6. Turkish military operations on the Syrian border

Threats from Oktay

Turkey, however, has heightened tensions with Greece over the past 24 hours. Turkish Vice-president, Fuat Oktay, once again raised the issue of demilitarization of the eastern Aegean islands, and let more barbs fly against Greece. Oktay threatened that if the islands are not demilitarized Turkey will challenge their sovereignty.

Athens’ answer

Government sources asked by MEGA about the repeated reports from the Turkish side on the issue of demilitarization of the islands responded as follows:

“The right to self-defense is described in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. Anyone interested in discussing it should try to settle the continental shelf issue in The Hague or calculate the cost of a response, to a reckless move, in a way that would not be expected.”

Greek citizen imprisoned in Turkey on charges of espionage

Meanwhile, Greek citizen Mohamed Amar Ambara is being held in pre-trial detention for espionage in favor of Greece.

The Greek citizen, as it became known, was taken to the interrogator’s office and then to prison.

Diplomatic sources in Athens pointed out “regarding the Greek citizen Mohamed Amar Ambara, his disappearance was reported to the Greek Embassy in Ankara a few weeks ago”.

“Since then, the Greek embassy had repeatedly and urgently raised the issue with the Turkish authorities, which, however, never gave an answer,” they added.