At a time when the regional rivalry between Turkey and Israel seems to be escalating in the wake of the war in Iranas well as the IDF’s orientation of action on the northern front towards Lebanon, Ankara is attempting to undermine the strategic cooperation between Greece, the Republic of Cyprus and Israel, which is exemplary as far as the Eastern Mediterranean is concerned and also offers opportunities to strengthen the deterrent power of Athens and Nicosia against the major security threats they face.

With Recep Tayyip Erdogan having escalated his confrontation this week with Benjamin Netanyahu and the Turkish press resurrecting scenarios of Trump possibly being “dragged” by Netanyahu to target Turkey after Iran, Haqqan Fidanchose, in his interview yesterday, to implicate Greece and Cyprus in this Turkey-Israel confrontation.

“The issue of the triad of Greece – the Greek Cypriot side – Israel being involved, or giving the impression of being involved, in an operation aimed at encircling Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean is an issue that is under our close monitoring. Now, we see that Greece is pursuing very dangerous policies here. There are very interesting aspects of Greece trying to pursue policies here on its own, policies that no other country in Europe is pursuing. The cooperation that they are engaging in does not bring more security. It brings more insecurity, more problems, and more war. We have told them. We told the Greeks and, through them, we told the Greek Cypriot side.”

This was stated by Fidan, who once again tried to portray the trilateral Greece-Cyprus-Israel cooperation, which has the support of the US and is, of course, not aggressive in nature, as a “security threat”. Fidan even boasted that Turkey had prevented Turkey from trying to attract other countries to this scheme, without making any specific reference. In any case, the US has also recently (last fall) participated in the 3+1 format at the level of energy ministers.

Greece’s response

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The Greek Foreign Ministry’s reaction was immediate and its statement noted that “Greece formulates its foreign policy independently, does not accept suggestions, nor does it owe explanations to anyone. Dangerous statements and attempts to distort reality are of no use, especially in this period of regional instability and uncertainty.”

Also, the Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “Greece, as a member state of the European Union and NATO and an elected member of the United Nations Security Council, has proven that it has consistently worked for stability, good neighbourly relations and peace over time” and also rejects the Turkish accusations, stressing that the trilateral talks in which Greece and the Republic of Cyprus participate “have a peaceful purpose and are not directed against third parties.”

Indeed, it is significant that both Athens and Nicosia, despite their strategic relationship with Israel, do not identify with its policies. There are recent statements by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in which he expressed Greece’s strong differentiation from Netanyahu’s policies on Gaza and Lebanon, while he had advocated a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue.

Cooperation

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Turkey is concerned by the fact that in recent years, first Cyprus and then Greece, in the context of strategic cooperation with Israel, have also entered into agreements for the supply of advanced defence equipment, most recently Greece’s agreement to purchase the PULS system, while Cyprus has also strengthened its defence posture by acquiring BARAK missiles from Israel.

The EU has also extended its military capabilities by acquiring Israeli-made weapons from BARAK.

Despite Ankara’s opposition, the Americans have not blocked this deal by the Republic of Cyprus either, but instead have also developed a special defense relationship with Cyprus, lifting the embargo on the sale of defense equipment, with joint exercises and by providing facilities to U.S. forces in the region.

And all this is going on in parallel with the emergence of great potential in Greek-American strategic relations, with the granting of facilities to Greece, but also with the emergence of our country as a hub for the transportation of American LNG to Central and Eastern Europe.

Given the role that Ankara claims in the region, as the leader of the Muslim world and as a “middleman” between East-West and North-South, with the war in Iran where it clearly sided with Tehran, it believes that its objectives are now threatened by an Israel that will emerge from this military adventure strengthened.

An Israel that has a strong influence on Donald Trump and seems to have been given a “blank check” to sort out Iran’s “proxies” in Lebanon and Syria, which it is certainly using in a way that goes beyond that goal.

And especially the Turkish media, and anti-Israel centers in Washington, promote the theory that Netanyahu’s policy https://www.protothema.gr/tag/mpentzamin-netaniaxoy/πλέον is linked to fulfilling “biblical” aspirations for domination from the Nile to the Euphrates.

Trump

Turkey and Erdogan, in this environment, are beset by anxiety, knowing that Israel’s “expansionist” policy, invoked to counter Iran’s proxies and eliminate its security threats, can only be countered rhetorically. This is what Mr. Erdogan is doing extremely well, as any other move would lead to a major regional crisis and a direct conflict between the two countries, allies of the US, where there is little doubt as to which side they would take.

Some analysts in Turkey were even quick to explain Trump’s aggressive stance toward NATO allies and threats to withdraw from the alliance as an attempt to distance Washington from the possibility of a Turkey-Israel conflict, as Turkey, as a member of NATO, would seek the triggering of Article 5 for mutual assistance.

Ankara, responding with strong anti-Israel rhetoric, is also seeking to reach out to that portion of public opinion and the political establishment in Washington that believes Netanyahu is the one who lured President Trump into war with Iran. And, with a broader aim, by implicating the Greece-Cyprus-Israel trilateral to undermine the US strategic relationship with Greece and Cyprus.

With Iran pending, the shaping of a new security architecture in the Middle East still has many “acts” to perform, and the most important of these will be the outcome of the Turkey-Israel rivalry, which is no longer hidden.