Cyprus-Forum.com

[Bananiot]

Remember the other day how proud we were when we told the whole world that Russian warships and warplanes would be exercising in the Aegean? One almost felt sorry for the Turks who were seen to be at the receiving end as Russia was obviously coming to the rescue of Orthodoxy, eventually. Here and in Greece, the bigots had a field day. However, things are not always as they seem to be, to our (constant) astonishment.

Here are the headlines today:

“Athens and Nicosia, frozen stiff”
“Joint Turko-Russian exercises between Rhodes and Cyprus”

Apparently, the Russians had asked for facilities for their exercise, without telling Greece and Cyprus that Turkey was also part of the exercise. Athens and Nicosia and all the bigots of this forum considered the coming of the Russian fleet to the Mediterranean for the first time in 30 years as a significant event for the advancement of our national issues. In fact they were sure that such was the momentum after Christofias’s visit to Moscow that Russia was about to put Turkey in its place.

Thus, what really happened is that we gave permission to Turkish war ships and aeroplanes to engage in all sorts of exercises within the FIR of Nicosia and on top we boasted about it.

I think GR will take a long time to get over this.

P.S. We still have France, don’t we?

[Get Real!]

I never got excited about a miniscule portion of the Russian navy roaming the Aegean… in fact I speculated that their only intent was to test their missiles based on Crete. I know very well that Russia is not interested in getting involved in any Mediterranean dispute unless if it was to involve the flow of her natural resources heading for Europe.

[Nikitas]

I had posted that this exercise is nothing special. Russia had given notification binding certain areas in INTERNATIONAL waters for exercises and one of their ships engaged in a joint exercise with Turkish ships.

The precedent set here, which Bananiot has chosen to overlook, is that Russian planes notified both Athens and Cyprus of intended FIR incursions, something the Turks refused to do.

The Russian fleet has a PERMANENT anchorage in international waters off the island of Kythira, and has done so since the days of the cold war. That is a much more important aspect than any temporary exercise. In essence it is a Russian base just off the coast of Greece.

[Bananiot]

Nikitas, can you explain why the Turks started issuing notes to foreign governments saying that NATO is concenred because the Greeks are bringing the Russians in the Mediterranean? This happened after we conveniently leaked the information, for obvious reasons, to put to appease the eternally hopeful nationalists that someone special is on our side. Why the hell did they do this if they had also signed a contract with the Russians for joint exercises? Are they two steps ahead of us all the time?

[Oracle]

I still maintain Turkey will be prevented from threatening off the next lot of Oil Exploration vehicles in our waters!

The diplomatic/other means by which this is done is for us to speculate ....

[Bananiot]

Rizospastis wrote on January 3rd:

Η εν λόγω Ρωσική άσκηση, που είναι πρώτη του είδους η οποία διεξάγεται στις περιοχές αυτές, έρχεται προς επιβεβαίωση της ρωσικής στρατιωτικής παρουσίας αλλά και ρόλου στην περιοχή, όπως και προς αναγνώριση της ελληνικής αρμοδιότητας όσον αφορά τον έλεγχο του FIR. Να αναφερθεί ότι το σχετικό αίτημα για δέσμευση περιοχών οι Ρώσοι το υπέβαλαν στις ελληνικές και όχι στις τουρκικές αρχές, οι οποίες το μόνο περιθώριο αντίδρασης που έχουν είναι να σπεύσουν με τα μαχητικά τους προς αναγνώριση των μαχητικών αεροσκαφών που θα εξορμούν για τις ανάγκες της άσκησης από το ρωσικό αεροπλανοφόρο

Short translation:

The Turks will not know what hit them.

[Nikitas]

"the Turks started issuing notes to foreign governments saying that NATO is concenred because the Greeks are bringing the Russians in the Mediterranean? "

Well, if they did issue those notes they prove themselves unreliable because while Greece did not participate in any joint manouvers the Turks did. So it would be Greece that should be making the complaint to NATO.

There is no way in the world that any nation can prevent any other from exercising in itnernational waters. The Russians exercise off the coast of New York all the time, as the Americans do off the Pacific and Baltic coasts of Russia, in international waters. And they give each other notification, as is the international practice by all except the Turks in the Aegean.

[Nikitas]

"Short translation:

The Turks will not know what hit them."

You are kidding right? The phrase that is most pertinent is:

" and also as to regards the recognition of Greek authority in the FIR. It should be noted that the Russians notified the Greek and not the Turkish government [re binding international waters for the exercises]"

It is a far cry from what you posted Bananiot.

[miltiades]

For as long as we have Hamas / Hezbollah on our side we have nothing to worry !
Hamas / Hezbollah are after all specialists in human rockets ! We can use them to strike deep at Southern Turkey !!
I almost forgot that it is with Israel that Turkey has a strategic alliance.

[Nikitas]

Bananiot, perhaps the Russians realise that sooner or later Greek waters will have to be extended to 12 miles, despite what Turkey professes, and they are keeping their options open.

Turkey will have to either settle this dispute in the ICJ or accept the EU principle that all member states must sign and ratify the Law of the Sea conventions.

What is worrying, and obviously has not reached Cyprus yet, is the Turkish assertion of a few days ago that the islands of Agathonis and Farmakonisi are within Turkish territory. This is a first and it is outrageous, because both islands are inhabited.

This is a case which will test the EU at its very foundation, because suddenly a third country is claiming EU territory and jursidiction over EU nationals.

I will suspend judgement on whether the EU is comprised of men or pimps till I hear their reaction.