Posted by There is no doubt that in the face of Mr. Erdogan Greece has a formidable neighbour. Some call him a foe, an enemy, others call him an authoritatirian leader, others call him the leader of the new Turkey in the 21st century, but the bottom line is that Mr. Erdogan is powerful and a capable negotiator in every front.
The mistake sentimentalists usually make is that they put forward sentiments, like fear, admiration, rather than the interests of the side they belong to.
The same happens with the moralists and the legalists, who put forward moralissues and judgements or legal issues.
But the issues that Greece is faced with when attempting to manage its relationship with Turkey is not primarily sentimental, or legal, or moral. It is quite simply a question of protecting and advancing its interests. After all, this is what sovereign states are all about.
So, what is Greece doing to protect and advance its interests, in the face of the Turkey of Mr. Erdogan?
Sadly, not enough.
First of all, there appears to be a complete loss when it comes to priorities. The issue of the name of a small neighbouring country has dominated the psyche of the populace, and there have been two massive demonstrations in Thessalonica and Athens.
It is not a secret that you cannot win anything in a situation where you get your priorities wrong.
The political leadership of Greece with the exception of SYRIZA and the Communist Party, has followed the flow of the masses. The same applies to the Church, which is powerful in Greece. They simply went along.
All this while Turkey under the relentless leadership of Mr. Erdogan is becoming more and more assertive in its demands on what they consider disputed sovereign territory in the Aegean (the islets of Imia) and the Exclusive Economic Zones of Cyprus.
To add insult to injury, the Greek Parliament has decided to initiate legal proceedings to determine the culpability of 10 politicians – including two ex prime ministers – in the investigation of the business practices of the pharmaceuticals firm Novartis.
When the Greeks should be working together, day and night, to figure out what to do with Turkey and the economy, the crowds take the streets to demonstrate that “Macedonia” is Greek, and the governing party of SYRIZA goes after its political opponents in the Novartis case.
I am not a person who could even remotely claim to have the answers to the questions regarding the Greek – Turkish relationships. But from my professional experience I know that this is the supreme sovereignty issue for the Greek State and that a divided country cannot negotiate, cannot set the correct policies, cannot achieve goals and objectives beneficial to the country.
Unless something changes in the very near future, the Greeks will continue to engage in a fracticidal feud, and worry about the small neighbouring country to the North, and the drugs of Novartis, while Mr. Erdogan and his leadership team pursue with determination and tencity their national interests.
It is a situation that makes me extremely nervous and worried.