Forcing Turkey to obey agreed-upon rules: The choice for the governments of Greece and Cyprus is clear

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Guest writer

It is understandable that the governments of Greece and Cyprus find themselves once more in the position of asking the EU to act upon its principles in calling upon Turkey to obey rules and agreements she has agreed to.

The EU and NATO, in particular, have been fed for almost 7 decades now that if there is a confrontation with the Soviet Union (currently Russia), then there is a loyal and noble ally down in Turkey that shares a border with the Soviets “and is on our side”.

While evidence has been compiling to the contrary for decades, the EU and NATO chose to continue paying lip service to the myth, if only because they could not even think of an alternative. In practically all campaigns conducted by NATO in the last 30 years Turkey was notably absent (e.g. 2^nd Iraq war—not examining the legality of it here—or the war against ISIS, where there is plenty of evidence that the Erdogan government was, and still is, on the wrong side). To put aside the fact that for nearly half of its 70 years of NATO membership Turkey was under some sort or other of dictatorial rule, direct or indirect.

• For several years now it is on top of the list of countries with most jailed journalists in the world, more than any other dictatorial regime you may think of. It is plain that had Turkey applied for NATO membership today, she could hardly get into the door to make her case…

In the face of mounting evidence that Turkey and her government under Erdogan is more of a Putin ally than a NATO ally or an EU-accession state candidate, what the governments of Greece and Cyprus can do is very simple: point out all the gross violations by Turkey of agreed upon rules, and exercise their veto power over any financial help to the Turkish government from the EU, until the latter falls within the norms of agreed-upon behaviour.

Be it the threat to look for hydrocarbons in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus, or of the Hellenic Republic (under the charade of an agreement with the Libyan makeshift “government”, called Blue Homeland), or the colonization of the ghost city of Varosha in occupied Cyprus (that Turkey should have handed back to its lawful inhabitants, according to 40-year old UN resolutions!), or the aiding and abetting of migrants (brought to Turkey for such purposes) to illegally cross over to Cyprus or Greece, or threatening to invade Greek islands with an entire army, or whatever else she will concoct, this is recalcitrant behavior not to be tolerated by any state.

After all, we know of no EU state facing such threats from a NATO member and/or an EU-accession state candidate!

The only thing that could bring Erdogan to his senses (not that he would cease searching for ways to grab more of what are duly his neighbor’s) is to place his behavior on watch, with defined rules and sanctions, should he break these rules, as the threats and recalcitrant behaviour above suggest. Specifically, for every illegal migrant coming from Turkey to Cyprus or Greece, Turkey could lose the EU funding for 10,000 Syrian refugees.

Harsh? Undemocratic? The government of Poland realized a while ago the methods of Turkey, when all of a sudden thousands of illegal migrants were reaching Belarus on direct flights from Turkey, and tried to cross over to Poland! Any illegal drilling into the EEZ of Greece or Cyprus by Turkey is a declaration of war on them and the EU and should be treated as such.

• Threats of invasion of Greek islands should automatically nullify the EU-Turkey customs union, not extend it! The vast armamentarium of sanctions against Russia because of her invasion of Ukraine can be applied equally well to Turkey, for such reasons. Ukraine is now claiming that Turkey is more of a Putin ally than a help to her, so the EU and NATO better wake up.

It is utterly delusional to keep feeding a myth, when all evidence is to the contrary. Turkey has never been part of the West, in beliefs, behaviour or actions. Like every clever crook she has always been telling the West, what the West was expecting to hear, but never acting on such beliefs and principles. Quite to the contrary, hers is a story of exploiting every opportunity to get what rightfully belongs to her neighbors.

The choice for the governments of Greece and Cyprus is clear: either they put a stop to Turkish recalcitrant behaviour, and insist that she can no longer be a recipient of any funding from the EU as long as her behavior to then is akin to Putin’s over Ukraine, or decide to become vassal states to Turkey, over the long run.

No country or group of countries can defend another country, if the latter does not want to defend herself. Former communist countries, now EU members, exercise their rights including the veto power, whenever they consider that their vital interests are at stake. If Turkey’s threats and actions are not contrary to vital interests of Greece and Cyprus, then what is?

What the U.S. policy toward Turkey should be? Erdogan must abandon bullying Greece in the Aegean Sea and in Cyprus