There is no doubt that in order to progress and prosper, to escape the stagnation imposed by the dystopia of closeness to imperialist Turkey, Greece must strengthen itself within the international system, both geo-economically and geopolitically, rather than retreat. Greece is too vast, historically and culturally to perish at your hands. It is clear that your government fails to recognise that we are not merely facing a regional power, but an imperialist state with a declared casus belli and the historical objective of the “Blue Homeland”—the annexation of Greece all the way to Cyprus. Turkey has consistently advanced its strategic aims, whether in terms of territorial expansion or influence, and it has now reached Damascus.
In a fragmented Syria, opposite Turkey-occupied Cyprus, the Christian populations, including the Greco-Levantines, as well as the oppressed stateless peoples, such as the Kurds—who are also under attack by Turkey—are suffering under the fire and the blade of jihadists, as well as the conflicting interests of state actors. Meanwhile, the current Greek government maintains an observer’s posture instead of establishing a firm presence and creating conditions for their protection.
You, ladies and gentlemen of the government, are compromising the national interest to align it, as you yourselves admit, with the strategy of your allies. But allies do not respect those who do not respect themselves. They use them as expendable. This is why, in Kassos, we found ourselves alone, facing the Turks, while the illegal Turco-Libyan memorandum was being implemented.
SHRINKING THE COUNTRY
You are passively shrinking the country’s influence in the Aegean and Mediterranean.
We have a message for you, Prime Minister Mr Mitsotakis, Foreign Minister Mr Gerapetritis, Deputy Minister Mrs Papadopoulos, and your predecessors—those who are guiding you in what you yourself admit is a policy of weakness:
We understand that you feel a strong need to align with Turkey’s perspective in order to succeed in the political negotiation you have undertaken to bring Turkey into line with NATO’s objectives in Ukraine. Soon, Turkey will be asking for even more concessions, not only in Syria, but also here—seeking an agreement to co-exploit the Aegean, supposedly in the name of peace and prosperity.
We also understand that it frustrates you that Turkey possesses such a vast coastline in the Aegean and Mediterranean, but, alas, this maritime expansion is blocked by one small detail: the Greek islands, whose coastlines are part of Greek territory, with full rights under international law, including the Greek continental shelf and EEZ.
We are a maritime nation, and since ancient times, access to the sea has been a condition particularly favourable for the expansion of our influence. We have no intention of ceding or bargaining away our maritime territory because it rightfully belongs to us. We are not forfeiting the size of our maritime domain, geographically or culturally, from the Aegean—which is overwhelmingly Greek—and certainly not the ‘Turkish Aegean’ or ‘Turkaegean,’ as you have allowed it to become known internationally—as far as the Eastern Mediterranean. In other words, we are not renouncing the prospect of maritime hegemony for the autonomy and development of our country and Hellenism, both regionally and globally.
Clearly, if we did not exist, it would be far easier for ‘humanitarian’ Turkey to pursue its aims. This is how Turkey presents itself in this year’s report on its public diplomacy, which, for our part, we underfund as an area of action for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From Nina Kasimatis’ stunning speech to parliament on the budget.
