“We don’t want war and we are a bit submissive”
Greece must take seriously the Turkish threats which are now crude, emphasized Evangelos Apostolakis, admiral e.a. and former Minister of National Defense, speaking on SKAI TV and the show “Today” about the increased Turkish provocation.
He called it dangerous to attribute Tayyip Erdoğan’s movements only to the internal problems he is facing, since as he said, Turkey is moving with method and strategy.
“The threats are now crude and in the clarifications requested for his statements (Erdogan) he clarifies that “we are not playing, we are serious”. One thing we must know too, that we must take them seriously”, stressed Mr. Apostolakis.
Regarding Athens’ response to the provocations, the admiral explained that our country cannot be silent, however, caution is needed, as Ankara may at this moment wish our country to increase that tension, with threats and provocations equivalents of the Turks.
“We don’t need to play their game, or run and follow their agenda,” “no need to exaggerate, no need to lionize, nor do we need to appear to be ungrounded in what we say. He wants calmness, he wants seriousness”, noted Mr. Apostolakis.
He explained that as Turkey considers the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean “very vital to its territory”, it tries to claim and take things that do not belong to it.
As Mr. Apostolakis said, with the threat “we will come suddenly at night” Erdogan is threatening that if we do not agree “for good” on the division that Turkey wants in the Aegean, then he will probably try to impose it.
“What they can do is a case, but what they say is what we hear,” the admiral emphasized and added that our country is planning its reaction based on the worst case scenario.
“The message must be sent to them very clearly: it will not be easy, it will not be a cost-free move, they do not have to deal with a state that is unfortified or that does not have the will and ability to deal with it,” said Mr. Apostolakis.
The admiral also mentioned that Turkey is taking advantage of the fact that “we are a bit submissive in this part”, because we do not want to go to war.
He said that work is needed in terms of the messages that Athens is sending to make them even clearer and to make it clear that we are not going to back down on the concession of sovereign rights.
“Messages are not enough to talk to each other, they also need a “building”. With the moves you make, with the readiness you show to the Armed Forces, with the way you set up the country’s defense and deterrence system,” he noted.
“Any effort and action against the sovereign rights of Greece will find a very serious resistance and whoever tries to do so will have a very serious cost which he will have to weigh,” said Mr. Apostolakis.
