Erdogan muddies the Mediterranean Sea waters

Not everyone's been very busy in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic monster these days. There are some shrewd, expansionist leaders who've seized this opportunity to push their propaganda — and borders — by making provocative moves which could destabilize the world like never before. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey is one of them.

We all know what China has done in Ladakh. But not many in this part of the globe are may be aware of what Turkey is doing in Eastern Mediterranean and the Cypriot Economic Exclusion Zone.

"Greece is currently in the strongest position it has been in previous years… It's one thing to be provocative and another to be strong. We are doing what is necessary to defend our sovereign rights. We have calmness and a responsible attitude and this is what all Greeks have seen in practice and not in words. When we use different expressions for foreign policy, we have to be careful. We must not reproduce Turkish propaganda," Stelios Petsas, spokesman for the Greek government, said in a strongly-worded interview to Antenna, a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus, last week.

This was in response to Turkey’s plans to expand its oil and gas exploration plans in Greece's territorial waters and carry out drilling activities in Cyprus's maritime economic zones.

Greece has also accused Turkey of repeatedly violating its airspace.

<img class="wp-image-2721 size-full" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2b9377496d9edec7b28d773a51de08aa-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" /> The old port of Chania on the Crete Island, Greece (Xinhua/Marios Lolos/IANS)

Faced with a severe economic crisis at home, entering an agreement with Libya to explore oil exploration in an area which cuts through Greek waters, is part of Erdogan's new maritime strategy.

A few weeks ago, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, France, and Cyprus issued a joint statement saying that Turkey's agreement with Libya and the worrying developments in the eastern Mediterranean threatens regional stability.

"It never was majorly about energy, what Turkey is doing in the eastern Mediterranean. It is a power projection," Harry Tzimitras, Director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo Cyprus Centre, told <a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/turkey-eastmed-gas-drilling-fight-global-energy-prices.html#ixzz6OEU9yxiW">Al-Monitor</a>.

<img class="wp-image-2722 size-full" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/74151b7ee289a9bdb1723e5ba687f28a.jpg" alt="" width="1124" height="1500" /> Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) during a visit to a military command center in Hatay, Turkey. (Xinhua/Turkish Presidential Palace/IANS)

Meanwhile, Erdogan's has already moved many stages ahead in his political game. "Not a single mosque of ours still stands in Athens. They were all razed to the ground," he said in Istanbul Sunday.

All's not going to be well too soon between the Nato allies..