by Nikitas » Sat May 15, 2010 11:25 am
Having listened carefully to Erdoghan's (via interpreters naturally) interviews, I am not so optimistic.
His stance on Cyprus is the worn "we said yes, you said no", on the issue of the daily violations of Greek airspace he said that according to NATO reports these are not classified as violations. Having personal experiences of these flights, seeing jets flying right over Greek islands, repeatedly, at 600 feet, the only conclusion is that he is talking nonsense. For the people of Farmakonisi, Agathonisi, Psara and other islands, being woken up at 6 am with jets flying right over their houses, being told that NATO air traffic has not seen these flights is bullshit.
Reading between the lines of this visit, I form the view that Turkey is trying to find a way to overcome an obstacle, one that is affecting its standing in the area- that of the past imperial power. But it cannot because all the officials that have come to Greece, and presumably they exude the same air in other countries in the area too, remains that of the imperial presence. This is the reason that there is a lot of inter Balkan cooperation which leaves out Turkey and Turkish business. All it takes to overcome the problem is to be a little less formal and a bit more friendly.
