Mesut Hakkı Caşın, the Turkish president’s advisor on security and foreign policy, has stated that the balance of power between Turkey and Greece changed after Western military assistance to Athens, adding that the Turkish military’s job has become more difficult.
A former air forces officer, Caşın also said air superiority has passed to Greece following its purchase of new fighter jets. The statements of Caşın, who often belittles Greece on Turkish TV shows, also contradict Turkey’s longstanding assertion that the Turkish Armed Forces are far superior to those of Greece.
Caşın in December attended the annual Islamic Union Congress organized by the Association of Justice Defenders Strategic Studies Center (ASSAM), a front organization run by private military contractor SADAT, which many believe is a de facto paramilitary force loyal to Turkey’s Islamist president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Starting his online presentation by saying, “May Allah not separate us from righteousness.” Caşın said the “arms assistance to Greece” scares him the most.
“Look, in addition to the fighter jets, four modern American frigates were given to Greece. France also provided four. Four MEKOs [German-made frigates] in the inventory are being modernized. With these 12 warships, American-Greek cooperation has been challenging us in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. There are 20 US military bases in Greece. We see that Turkey has difficulties in Alexandroupoli and Crete,” Caşın told viewers.
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However, there’s only one actual US base in Greece, at Souda Bay. American forces have been granted access to four additional Greek bases according to a new defense cooperation agreement signed in October.
Caşın said air superiority has shifted towards Greece with the help of the new fighter jets. He also drew attention to Israel training the Greek Air Force at Kalamata Air Base.
“It is not yet clear what Turkey can do against an attack by the Greek army, which is prepared to intervene in Thrace and the Aegean,” he said.
Criticizing the recent joint military exercises between Greece and the US in the Aegean last November, Caşın said it was carried out with much more personnel and ships than needed and that this was not a good omen for Turkey. He also claimed that Greece has become an American garrison.
Read more: Nordic Monitor
