The clear victory of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the second round of the presidential elections in Turkey with 52.1% enables him to implement his plan to remain in the consciousness of the Turks as the “Ataturk of the 21st century” and, on the other hand, to continue his policy in the wider area of the SE Mediterranean, at the same time intensifying his aggressive rhetoric against the West in combination with the expansion of the openings he is making in countries such as Russia and Iran.
During the pre-election period, a section of the Turkish press noted that half of the Turkish people “see” in the person of Erdogan the guarantor of the national character of the Turkish state, its religious beliefs, as well as the neo-imperialist pursuits for a “greater homeland”, while on the other hand Kilicdaroglu has always been a “mild” personality who was put in charge of the opposition parties in lack of a better one, given that the only man who could possibly defeat the current president of Turkey is the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglou, who was however put out of the presidential race quite early by Erdogan’s regime.
Nationalist rhetoric
In recent days, given the estimates that the polls in Turkey would reveal him as the winner, Erdogan upgraded the nationalist rhetoric of his election campaign, which was also noted by the competent services of the Greek Ministry of National Defense. Indicative in this direction was the second test launch of the new Tayfun ballistic missile, which took place last Tuesday morning off the coast of the Black Sea, as well as the announcement of a major aeronautical exercise which is about to start on next Thursday and to be completed on June 12 in the Aegean, with the participation of 18,000 soldiers, 113 ships, 9 submarines, 59 aircraft and 19 unmanned vehicles.
It is also considered certain that the renewal of his presidential term for another five years will be attempted to be combined by Erdogan with tomorrow’s events that are going to take place in Constantinople on the occasion of its Fall on May 29, 1453. In this context, it has already been planned by the his electoral staff his transition, on Monday morning, to the Church of Hagia Sophia, which now functions as a mosque, in order for him to pray. The event is even expected to be combined with a big fiesta on the part of his fans.
Besides, Erdogan’s attempt to conquer a place next to Kemal or even to surpass him in the consciousness of the Turks is inextricably linked with Constantinople, given that among his main goals is to turn it into the new capital of the Turkish state. It is not just a coincidence that the new airport of the city, which is one of the largest in the world, has not yet been named, with the aim, in the distant future, of taking Erdogan’s name.
Greek National Defence Report
According to a relevant report by military staff of the Greek Pentagon, the big winner from the elections in Turkey is Turkish nationalism, which is also proven by the fact that from the ballot box on the first Sunday (14/5) the percentages from the parties that come from the political matrix of the “Grey Wolves” add up to about 30%.
“What emerges is a deeply conservative, Islamist society following a man whose speech is characterized by irrational elements”, state the military staff, pointing out at the same time the misreading of Turkey by the West. “The interpretation must be done outside the Western framework. Turkish society, as it was seen from how the youth voted, has been nurtured with the idea of a great Turkey. The re-election of Erdogan will mean the Islamization of the country so that it acquires the Ottoman character that he himself desires”, the Greek officials emphasize.
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At the same time, in the context of their report, they point out that this specific process is expected to provoke the reaction of the West, something that may force Turkey to fall into the arms of Russia and the Eurasian powers.
“Taking into account the positions of the entire Turkish political system regarding Greece (the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu disputed again the Aegean islands, airspace, territorial waters, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hulusi Akar on the Pontian Genocide stated that they are fantasies and there is no evidence), due attention should be paid by the Greek side, given that it may be pressured by the West in order to accept a Turkish agenda that will work to its detriment”, it states.
At the same time, the Greek military officials argue that Greece, “knowing that Turkey is not going to change and that it is a revisionist force, should take advantage of the opportunity that will be created by its Eurasian turn, so as to constitute a bastion and factor of stability in the region, thus upgrading its relationship with the US. Beyond armaments, the presence of Greece as a dynamic player in the alliances of the region is necessary, being a factor of peace in the region as well as of energy security”, conclude the staff, at the same time characterizing as a “false argument” that the two countries, having newly elected governments, could bear the cost of either side’s concessions.
