A war of nerves in the triangle of Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, where an invisible war of NAVTEX messages has been raging for days, against the backdrop of a tug-of-war over the jurisdiction of maritime zones that Ankara is attempting to seize.
Athens responded with a NAVTEX five minutes after midnight, marking the second illegal Turkish NAVTEX in a week, which portrayed surveys for the East to Med Corridor undersea cable via Cyprus as work on the Turkish continental shelf.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“An unauthorized station transmitted a NAVTEX message concerning geophysical surveys by the vessel KOBI RUEGG. The overwhelming majority of these coordinates are located within the Greek continental shelf.” Heraklion Station, Hydrographic Service of the Hellenic Navy
The Heraklion Station clarifies that the surveys will be conducted “in accordance with the terms of the Greek permit and that the survey lines are located within the Greek NAVTEX area of responsibility, over which it has exclusive jurisdiction.”
Despite Turkish maneuvers, the surveys announced via a NAVTEX from the Larnaca Joint Operations Center began as scheduled today.
Trojan Horse
This was preceded by a Turkish counter-NAVTEX, which contested the Heraklion Station’s jurisdiction over the area where the multinational EUNOMIA exercise is being conducted. The exercise is taking place in a section through which the Cyprus -Greece, and what is at stake for Ankara is the creation of a fait accompli regarding who has the final say in approving activities in the area.
“Our Minister of Defense has already stated this: they must comply with this condition; otherwise, they cannot proceed.” TGRT
Turkish media have characterized the Greek NAVTEX as piratical, speculating that the Evnomia will be used as a Trojan horse to facilitate the entry of the research vessel, which would be perceived as de facto military protection, triggering an intervention by Turkish surface, air, and submarine units patrolling the area.
The plan for Greece is to bring countries such as France, Italy, Cyprus, and Israel into the fray, stating that we will not seek permission. In the event of a conflict, they want to position the armed forces of these countries against Turkey.
“Turkey is not seeking a military confrontation, but rather to instill fear. Turkey must be confronted through containment and deterrence. The adversary must be convinced that any military action will come at a very high cost.” Konstantinos Loukopoulos, Lieutenant General (ret.), Geostrategic Analyst
“If the Turks decide to take such a reckless step, they will pay a very high price. If we are convincing in our show of force in the region, that possibility will be averted.” George Mazis, Professor of Geopolitical Theory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Tomorrow is a landmark day, with the live-fire exercises of the “Eunomia” 160 kilometers south of Kastellorizo serving as a barometer for the Turkish reaction and a catalyst for the next moves regarding the cable.
Watch the report by Christoforos Nestoros
