The head of the communications department in the Turkish presidency, Fahrettin Altun, sent a message to officials in Greece and leaders of European countries in which he stressed that their policy of attacking Turkey as an easy way to distract attention from their strategic failures is doomed to failure.
Head of the Communications Department in the Turkish Presidency, Fahrettin Altun, said that in recent months Greece has carried out many provocative actions that are futile and have raised tension from time to time and persist in making allegations that are beyond the scope of reason and logic and in violation of all international laws and norms. It is working behind closed doors and behind the scenes in Western capitals to push these countries to put pressure on Turkey.
Altoun's words came in an article on the "Al-Jazeera Net" website entitled "A Turkish message to Greece: Your plan is doomed to strategic failure!", in which he talked about Turkish policy towards many files in the region, especially relations with Greece and the file of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
Altun said, "Some politicians in the neighboring country have been in the habit of attacking Turkey as an easy way to distract attention from their strategic failures and an attempt to win domestic political sympathy. But we would like to remind our neighbor and NATO ally that his tactics are doomed to an abject strategic failure." And that no one will benefit from the continuous escalation of tension in the Aegean Sea, and that the serious consequences of that tension return more and more every time to the provocative party.
He added: "Some European countries used to link their political orientations towards Turkey to that of the rash and impulsive Greek behavior. In this context, initiatives such as the inclusion of Cyprus in the European Union and encouraging Greece in its efforts to keep Turkey out of the eastern Mediterranean are few examples of the approach that it followed." European capitals are creating new difficult problems instead of looking for permanent solutions to the issues at hand.
He continued: "The European countries, by accepting Cyprus as a member of the European Union, made a catastrophic strategic mistake, which was not limited to encouraging the implementation of doomed and unfinanced energy projects that not only exclude Turkey, but also deprive the Turkish Cypriots of their legitimate rights, We will never allow that, but it seems that the Greeks and the Greek Cypriots will face the consequences of trying to test our resolve and firmness in our position, for despite our call for de-escalation and our acceptance to sit at the strategic dialogue table, the Greek side succeeded in procrastinating and wasting time in these consultations. Our country, under the wise leadership of our president, is always determined to protect our national interests, and at the same time we express our positive attitude and open to dialogue."
Altun emphasized, “When the war in Ukraine began, many European leaders, including Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, visited Turkey and emphasized its great importance in the region. But our neighbor has a bad habit taken from some Western countries, which is: to realize the geopolitical importance of Turkey when it arises crisis in the region, and then ignore this importance when the signs of the crisis disappear."
He pointed out that "these miscalculations and strategic narrow-mindedness are a dominant issue in Western relations with Turkey. Greek leaders have followed the same approach in recent years. But we have to remind the government or political leadership in Athens that unlike other countries that suffer from amnesia while Regarding Turkey's strategic importance, Athens must realize that Turkey and Greece share land and sea borders, that we will continue to live side by side, and the deterioration of our bilateral relations will lead to problems in our region that will not be in the interest of either side.
"Despite this fact, Mr. Mitsotakis followed a wrong path after his visit to Turkey with the outbreak of the Ukraine war. During his visit to Washington he tried to use the US Congress as a platform to attack and pressure Turkish national interests and influence our relations with the United States. Not his speech there criticizing the authority Legislative action in Turkey is only evidence of inexperience and seeking to interfere in the affairs of a third country, causing unnecessary friction within NATO at one of the most pivotal times in its history. It is harmful to the future of the alliance and the security of the region. Greece's attempt to exploit the differences between Turkey and the United States and European countries to advance its national interests is a far-fetched policy that does not serve Greek interests or peace in the region in the long term."
Altun emphasized that despite the recurrence of these practices, Turkey remains committed to solutions through diplomacy and dialogue. We choose to be the more mature side while being keen to protect our national interests at any cost. Greek politicians and some Western leaders must realize that spreading anti-Turkish propaganda will not benefit anyone in the long run. The internal political obstacles are temporary, and many European leaders know this from their past relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He continued: "We strongly believe in diplomacy and political solutions under the firm leadership of President Erdogan, and we do not compromise on protecting the basic interests of our national security. Our society, as in the large segment of Greek society, wants to live in peace and harmony in this region. The commonalities between our cultures, traditions and societies. greater than our differences.
Altun concluded his message by saying: "At a time when the European continent, the Black Sea, and the Middle East are facing structural changes and security threats, the world does not need to turn the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean into another conflict zone. We hope that peace and calm will prevail in Greece and that Greek politicians will decide Working with Turkey to achieve lasting peace in the region. Doing otherwise will cause them a major strategic failure. We also urge Western leaders to refrain from actions that create unnecessary tensions and encourage Greece to enter into conflict with Turkey."