Eurasia Press & News
Greece continues to seek its partners around the world to help strengthen its defense on the one hand and to successfully oppose Turkey on the other. Last Thursday [October 29 – ed.], The Greek Foreign Minister held an in-depth and constructive conversation-analysis with his Indian counterpart on this topic.
The situation in the Mediterranean and the commitments made by Greece to resolve the Ankara issue in the dispute over the borders of the continental shelf and gas fields in the region were also discussed. Naturally, maritime international law was in the forefront, which was strongly supported by the Indian Foreign Minister, thus giving his support and protection of Greek interests.
The problem will continue to exist, especially as Turkey opens new fronts around itself, including those in Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh. The Turkish side has the support of its Pakistani political and military counterparts, which worries the Greeks. That is why future military cooperation between Greece and India is gaining more and more meaning, especially given the fact that Greece will have one of the fastest growing major nations in the military industry. Another fact that will unite the two peoples is the nationalist vision and policy of Turkish President Erdogan, which in one way or another reaches the borders of India, and this worries New Delhi.
Quite a logical end to these military-political situations in the Balkans, the Middle East, Asia and the Caucasus is the already signed defense agreement between the two countries between India and Greece. Athens sincerely welcomes this cooperation and believes in its effectiveness and strength, especially as India is one of the few countries in the world with nuclear weapons and nuclear potential, which is increasing every year.
Another topic of conversation between the two ministers was the possible cooperation between Athens and New Delhi in the field of military technology, their development and the opportunity for the two nations to share their progress in joint developments. It is not surprising that Greek politicians and the pathos in some Greek media understand the idea of this partnership, leading them to exclaim that “these are huge opportunities that open up before us” [Greeks – ed.].
Military analysts immediately responded to news of co-operation between the two countries, drawing a parallel that Greece and India would be able to oppose the Turkish-Pakistani defense axis in the future and that Turkish-Pakistani naval exercises in the Mediterranean would pose no threat to Greeks or for Indians, but a real opportunity to respond and challenge. A challenge that is difficult for Ankara to accept, especially at a time when Turkey is being eroded by the economic and financial crisis. The moment when Erdogan’s rating falls and only the country’s participation on several fronts is not the reason for early elections, or even for a new attempt at a military coup.
Political scientists and military experts assess the relations between Greece and India as friendly, warm and multilateral. But they all believe that while the Turkish-Pakistani naval exercises are a fact, India and Greece should not stand by and watch, but take retaliatory measures. Many experts cite as an example the possibility of joint Indo-Greek exercises in the waters of the Aegean Sea or the eastern Mediterranean, which would be the beginning of a new defense axis “Athens-New Delhi” to oppose the already present Pakistani units in some Turkish ports.
“The sooner this happens, the better it will be for the national security of both countries,” a number of Greek media outlets said. Maybe that’s the case.
Greece wants from Germany to cut off arms supplies to Turkey
On October 22 the Greek side has sent a letter asking Berlin to suspend all supplies of weapons and military equipment to Ankara due to the conflict between the two countries [Greece and Turkey] in the Mediterranean and the gas fields there.
Christopher Burger, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, said in an open interview that such a letter was indeed sent from Athens, but assured reporters that such issues are taken after an individual decision, after a process of research and analysis of the situation, and issues related to German foreign policy. He also told reporters that their request for more detailed information about the content of the letter was impossible because it was confidential.
According to the German spokesman, Berlin is following with great attention and concern what is happening in the Mediterranean, and that so far Berlin has not issued new permits for the export of weapons or critical weapons in the direction of Ankara, which weapons in one way or another affect events in the Balkans.
Greece is trying to influence the decisions of other EU members, especially by attacking a deal between Berlin and Ankara for the production of six submarines to be delivered to the Turks in mid-2027. This letter sent from Athens to Berlin is not the only one. Political analysts claim that Greece has sent similar letters to all members of the European Union.
Erdogan ‘energizes’ the crisis in Kashmir – threatens India too
The crisis with Erdogan was not enough for him, now he is dealing with India as well some Greek media reported in August this year. Turkey is emerging as the leader of the entire Muslim world, even threatening India in the Kashmir issue, having completely lost its sense of logic. The Pakistani government also intervened, publicly praising Turkey for its support for the people of Kashmir, which is owned and ruled by India, provoking a backlash from the Indian government.
After a meeting in the capital of Islamabad with the Turkish envoy to the country of South Asia, the chairman of the Pakistani Parliamentary Committee for Kashmir, Shehryar Afridi, said that the attitude of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Kashmir helped issue internationally.
“President Erdogan has played a vital role in targeting India acting against the people of Kashmir and other minorities,” Afridi said in a statement after meeting with Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Yurdakul. He stressed that India is destabilizing peace in the region bordering three nuclear powers, Pakistan, China and India, while warning that any “crisis” in Kashmir could endanger the entire region, affecting more than half of the world population. “Turkey is playing a leading role for the entire Ummah (Muslims around the world) so that they remain united against their common enemy,” Afridi said, stressing the urgent need to draw international media attention to Kashmir.
He also praised the key role of the Turkish embassy in promoting relations between Pakistan and Turkey. For his part, Yurdakul stressed that Ankara’s role in expressing Kashmir’s grievances will continue. New Delhi recently warned Ankara not to get involved in the region, so far from its borders, because there would be consequences.
Kashmir is an area near the Himalayas inhabited by Muslims and Hindus and is occupied by India and Pakistan, while the whole is claimed by the latter. Since the partition of India in 1947, New Delhi and Islamabad have waged three wars between them, in 1948, 1965 and 1971, two of them in the Kashmir region.
Turkey is involved in the region by taking Pakistan’s side for economic reasons, as it wants to promote Turkish-made weapons, while its neo-Ottoman plans include expanding into the region as part of a pan-Islamic plan to unite all Muslims. We think that the well-known Greek proverb “with the hens and the bran” fits perfectly with the plans of the Turkish president who is constantly increasing and multiplying his enemies, after the Eastern Mediterranean.
