Some commentators go further and discuss the consequences of a possible Turkish advance at Greece’s expense, including the annexation of islands such as Kastellorizo or even the city of Thessaloniki — as a military-academy professor put it on television.
On a TV program, military-academies professor Uğur Özköker claimed that Turkey is under pressure in meetings with the European Union and NATO over the casus belli that the Turkish parliament has adopted.
“Now, in all our meetings with the European Union and NATO, they put it in front of us. They tell us: ‘Turkey adopted casus belli from Parliament,’” he said.
What casus belli means
He explained the term (cause for war): “If Greece extends to 12 miles — note that this is also put wrongly — if it extends even beyond 6 miles, even by 100 meters, that is considered a Cause for War.”
He also argued that Ankara could abolish the casus belli if Athens dropped its intention to extend territorial waters.
“Now they tell us: ‘Abolish it.’ Fine, we say, we’ll abolish it. You also abolish the 12 miles.”
Özköker then cited a recent statement by Mitsotakis that Greece will extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles when the right moment comes. “Look, he himself said it, he admitted it. He said: ‘We will extend territorial waters to 12 miles when the right time comes.’”
The “Greek lake” argument
The same commentator explained why Turkey reacts so strongly: an extension would close the Aegean and turn it into a Greek lake. Even if Turkey sent “a ship from Istanbul to Izmir, you would be obliged to enter Greek territorial waters.”
Such a situation would be “dangerous,” he said, because a ship would need permission to pass through Greek waters.
The discussion then turned more extreme when the presenter raised the idea of Turkey moving “from the center,” in the Thessaloniki area, claiming that would change the Aegean situation completely.
Özköker’s reply was especially provocative.
“Thessaloniki isn’t even needed. Komotini is enough. Western Thrace is enough. Thasos and so on would be ours.” The presenter insisted Thessaloniki also matters. Özköker answered: “Of course, I wish. We will take Thessaloniki, with God’s help, we will take it. But there is still time. It will depend on the international situation, because if we are left alone with them, we will perform our noon prayer in Thessaloniki!”
Provocations over Kastellorizo: “No frigate needed, we can go by fishing boat”
On another program, Hürriyet columnist Nedim Şener treated Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remark about the island’s closeness to Turkey as a hint of annexation.
He referred to Erdoğan’s comment that if Turkey shouted from the Kaş area, people on the opposite shore could hear it:
“In reality Erdoğan is trying to explain something. That’s where the cleverness shows. ‘If we shout from there, if we shout loudly, you will hear us’ and so on. What that really means is: ‘If I stretch out my hand, I am there.’”
“That’s what he’s saying. If I stretch out my hand, I’ll be there.”
READ MORE: Greek-Owned Tanker Hit by Drone in Persian Gulf Near Strait of Hormuz.
