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GREEK CONCERNS ABOUT POWER GAMBIT IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Stylianos Kafestidis, PhD Student at the Department of International Relations, University of National and World Economy, Sofia
Abstract
In geopolitical perspective, the Eastern Mediterranean with its potential gas reserves has turned into a zone of tensions and growing contest between regional as well as external actors. Furthermore, the maritime delimitation disputes have increased the likelihood of confrontation between Turkey and Greece. The aim of this paper is to discuss the major concerns of Greece with regard to power politics in the Eastern Mediterranean. Analyzing political and diplomatic relations and applying instruments of geopolitical analysis, the paper discusses current achievements of the Greek foreign policy, the worrisome relations between Greece and Turkey, the Cyprus issue and the energy projects competition.
Greece perceives Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an increasingly authoritarian, unpredictable and revisionist state. Therefore, Greek policies aim to counter Turkey’s expansionism by establishing a network of enhanced bilateral engagement with the US, France and countries from the Eastern Mediterranean. The paper, however, concludes that problems between Greece and Turkey still remain as one of the key challenges for Greece and its strategy in the region. It is particularly difficult for Athens and Ankara to solve their differences due to diverging mindsets and contradictory agendas. Trust can hardly be restored and time is required. There are hopes and expectations that common sense on both sides would prevail and a mode of cooperation with Ankara would be possible, even if the most difficult issues of the power gambit in the Eastern Mediterranean remain unsolved.
Keywords: Greece, Turkey, Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus issue |
