Greece is trying to drag Turkey into a conflict with its NATO allies by pushing Ankara to activate its Russia-sourced S-400 air defense systems, ex-Turkish military officials have told the Yeni Safak newspaper.
“According to experts, Greece is seeking to ramp up tensions because it is unhappy that Ankara is becoming an increasingly prominent global player. Athens’ goal is to either start a war or create a conflict between Turkey and the West, forcing Ankara to activate its S-400s,” a piece appearing in the Turkish newspaper on Tuesday alleged.
Characterizing Turkey as the “diplomatic center of the world” amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, and pointing to Ankara’s efforts to resolve important issues, including the global food crisis, through Russia-Ukraine grain talks in Istanbul, Yeni Safak suggested that Greek “harassment” of the Turkish military was carried out “in parallel with these developments.”
“Military experts state that even if it is not necessary for the moment, Turkey has the right to use its S-400s after the [Greek] S-300 harassment, and that in such a situation, Greece would not even be able to fly a plane out of Athens,” the paper added.
Retired Turkish Brig. Gen. Fahri Erenel told the newspaper that the fresh tensions are meant to “sabotage” Turkey’s diplomatic efforts. “Greece will create a perception that Turkey is not peaceful...trapping Ankara into a possible response. Of course, it is clear that there is cooperation with the USA here,” he said.
Erenel emphasized that Greece’s use of S-300s means that Turkey has the right to activate its S-400s. “If one country can use a Russian air defense system, it should not be out of the question among NATO countries. Activating the S-400s would be a very appropriate measure in response to harassment. Moreover, S-400s feature much more advanced technology in terms of their ability to lock on to various [targets]. And this will strengthen Turkey’s hand against Greece,” he said.
Retired Air Force Lieut. Gen. Erdogan Karakus concurred with his colleague’s assessment on Washington’s possible role in the situation, suggesting that the US “wants to draw Turkey’s attention to Greece to prevent Ankara’s possible Syria operation and to show that the PKK is still alive.”
For his part, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Beyazit Karatas similarly argued that Athens is trying to lure Ankara into deploying its S-400s to the Aegean to increase tensions, disrupt Turkey-US ties, and result in more sanctions.
Yeni Safak expects a high-level Turkish delegation to visit the US in the coming months to discuss the radar lock-on issue alongside other problems, including Washington’s “double standard” in relation to Athens and Ankara and their purchase of advanced Russian air defense systems. Turkey was booted from the F-35 program and slapped with sanctions over its S-400s buy, while Greece has faced no restrictions over its S-300s purchase.
Turkish security sources told Anadolu Agency on Sunday that the country’s F-16s had been “harassed” by Greek S-300s during a routine reconnaissance flight west of the island of Rhodes on August 23, with the jets said to have been “radar locked” by the Crete-based air defense systems. The jets were reported to have been tracked for 30 minutes as they traveled through the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas before returning to base. Anadolu Agency’s sources called the incident a “hostile act incompatible with the spirit of NATO.”
Greek government spokesman Ioannis Oikonomou dismissed Ankara’s version of events on Monday, accusing Turkey of trying “to make an impression throughout the preceding period with the escalation of rhetoric and fabrications that are completely contrary to truth and reality.”
Oikonomou emphasized that Greece has always respected its obligations within NATO, and is a "factor of stability and peace" in the Aegean and the Mediterranean.
Greece and Turkey have had a tension and war-filled history, with their entry into the NATO alliance in 1952 failing to quell mutual animosities. Although they have not fought a full-scale war since the Second Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, the countries have waged a series of underreported skirmishes in the Aegean Sea, with both sides reporting dozens of violations of their maritime borders each year over the flights of aircraft and the sailing of warships along disputed frontier territories.
The discovery of large reserves of natural gas has only served to escalate tensions, with Ankara and Athens making conflicting claims to energy-rich maritime areas in the Mediterranean Sea, and the US, France, Cyprus, and Egypt getting involved in the conflict on the side of the Greeks.