Tensions are escalating in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean as NATO allies Greece and Turkey move towards a possible military confrontation between them that may end in flaming the region.
The warships of the two historical opponents showed their power in the disputed eastern Mediterranean region, after the race over gas and oil reserves added a new point of contention for the old disputes.
At a time when the two NATO allies are engaged in gunboat diplomacy, which has pushed more countries into the conflict, the alliance has been looking to ease tensions that threaten to spread regionally.
Yesterday, Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance is looking at ways to avoid accidental clashes in the eastern Mediterranean, and is studying so-called anti-engagement measures to prevent maritime accidents in an increasingly congested region, but he did not elaborate.
"The presence of a lot of ships and military equipment in a very limited area, this in itself is a cause for concern," he added in an interview after his meeting with the European Union defense ministers.
Military experts interpret “preventing engagement,” by establishing communications links between rival armies in the same location, as the United States did with Russia in Syria.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar issued a strong warning to Greece on Thursday, saying, "If you violate our borders, our answer is well-known," stressing that his country always supports dialogue and does not want any conflicts.
NATO allies
Turkey and Greece joined NATO in 1952, in the context of fear of the Soviet expansion to the west. In 1954, Turkey and Greece jointly formed a Balkan alliance with Yugoslavia, whose goal was to confront the Soviet Union, but the relationship between the two neighbors quickly deteriorated again as a result of the dispute over the island of Cyprus and confrontations over the Aegean.
The allegations between them continue to date of the violation of airspace and sea confrontations on coastal waters and others, and both Turkey and Greece consider each other the biggest military threat to the other.
Article 5 of the NATO Charter stipulates that any attack on any of its states is considered an attack on all of these countries, but the charter does not specify what will happen exactly if a member state of the alliance attacks another member country.
Legal confirms that NATO is a defense alliance to protect member states, not to support their military ambitions, and since alliances do not expect that one of their members will be outside the consensus, NATO does not have any formal rules governing the expulsion of members if one of them attacks another member.
The Washington Treaty founding NATO does not provide a distinction based on the aggressor’s position on the alliance or its supposed membership, according to the treaty: An attack is an attack, but if tension occurs between two NATO member countries, what will the member states do?
Article 4 of the same document states that "the parties shall consult with each other when the peace, independence or security of one of the parties is threatened." The second article stipulates "the contribution of member states to developing peace and international friendship, avoiding differences and contradictions, and supporting economic cooperation between all parties."
The military superiority of the
leader of the ruling Turkish Justice and Development Party, Rasul Tosson, mentioned to Al-Jazeera Net that "Greece cannot confront Turkey by land, sea or air, as Ankara has military and diplomatic advantages that make it the winning party in any negotiations or battles in the eastern Mediterranean."
Tosson asserts that there is a great desire on the part of the United States, and other countries, not to involve NATO in this conflict, so that it does not get involved in conflicts between its members.
He indicates that his country deals in accordance with international law, and that it defends its rights and the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean, suggesting that a military conflict will not occur between Turkey and Greece in light of NATO's efforts to calm down.
The former parliamentarian clarifies that "Turkey does not aspire to take the rights of others, and will not turn its back on the peaceful talks, but it will not back down from its position," noting that his country may stop energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean for some time, in order to make any mediation from NATO succeed. And Germany.
Toson stresses that any energy project in the region does not have a chance to survive without Turkey's participation, especially since the shortest gas pipeline route from the region to Europe will be from northern Cyprus through Turkey.
NATO neutrality
For his part, Jean Ajun, an official in the foreign policy department at the SITA Center for Studies supported by the government in Ankara, believes that Greece, with the support of France, Israel and the UAE, is trying to gradually remove Turkey from the equation, following the discovery of significant quantities of energy sources in the eastern Mediterranean.
He confirms that NATO is neutral, and that Germany is acting rationally and trying to restrain France and Greece.
On the other hand, Agon pointed out that the strong political and security participation of the United States in the region would enhance the effectiveness of NATO in the eastern Mediterranean, in addition to its role in curbing the growing military presence of Russia, as well as working to balance the tense relationship between France and Turkey.
He believes that their main goal is to confine Turkey to (the Gulf of Antalya) and to ensure that it does not have a naval power, and in this way they will be able to export energy from the region through the East Med project to Europe.
Ajon told Al-Jazeera Net that "(the doctrine of the blue nation) in our country stipulates that we will never give up our rights in the eastern Mediterranean, even if a military intervention is required, as our naval forces are deployed in the region."
He added, "Greece and the countries supporting it take the military confrontation with Turkey into consideration, especially after they were forced in Libya to retreat and take a step backward."
Enhancing stability.
A position assessment prepared by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies in Istanbul concluded the need for NATO to promote stability in the eastern Mediterranean, by agreeing on a set of general principles that could form a governing framework for NATO’s moves and strategy, including a number of considerations:
Emphasizing that all regional partners can reap the benefits of energy discoveries in the region, while working on adopting a path aimed at equitable sharing of energy revenues.
Work to contain the Russian influence and presence in the region.
Ensuring freedom of operation for NATO from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
Work to enhance regional stability in the Middle East and North Africa, including counterterrorism efforts.
Adherence to international legal rules and United Nations resolutions such as the arms embargo on Libya and the efforts made to reach a ceasefire and support the territorial and maritime safety of countries.
Redoubling efforts to avoid future maritime accidents in the eastern Mediterranean between NATO allies.