“In the disputed area, an area of 12 miles around the Greek islands, will be deliberately used as a transit route not only by the Turkish navy but also by helicopters”, states Rear Admiral and well-known analyst Dimitris Tsailas, among others, he points out the secret Turkish plan of naval Suga, which aims to provoke Greece.
In Turkey it seems retired admiral Cem Gürdeniz dreams along with other nationalist defectors, of bringing back the exposed secret conspiracy called Suga, which was designed in 2003 as an operation to deliberately create tension with Greece for domestic political goals. Today he advocates a confrontation with Greece and claims that Turkey is actually fighting against the US and the EU.
The ongoing activities of the Turkish Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force that violate international norms, with nationalistic euphoria covering the Turkish media, the aggressive comments made by talking officials on government-controlled television networks, and the irresponsible comments of Turkish leaders coordinated by President Erdogan himself are reminiscent of the check list devised in the Suga plan by its creator.
It is quite interesting that retired naval officer Cem Gürdeniz, who was convicted of drafting the insidious and illegal plan to challenge Greece as part of Suga, and his associates are openly beating the drums of war on Turkish TV networks these days with support from President Erdogan’s government, raising the specter of conflict between the two NATO allies.
In the context of the recent escalation of tensions between Turkey and Greece and the Turkish leadership’s talk of war, in part to distract Turks from economic problems at home, the suga plan recall may provide some clues to the mindset of officials of the current government led by Islamist President Erdogan and his supporters.
In the general plan, the mission was defined as creating a deliberate incident during military exercises taking place in the Aegean and escalating the tension that would bring Turkey to the brink of war with Greece, without foreseeing an open conflict. So when the order is given, activities aimed at escalating the crisis will be carried out by taking deterrent and provocative measures in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean against Greek units.
The action plan referred to the use of Turkish fishermen as pawns and urged the use of coercive measures against Greek fishermen by their coast guard. In the disputed area, a 12-mile stretch around the Greek islands, will be deliberately used as a passageway not only by the Turkish navy but also by helicopters. The Greek vessels would be monitored by the Turkish coast guard, which would intercept them when necessary. Finally, when the order is given, deliberate actions would be taken to escalate tension in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.
Gürdeniz, the initiator of the Suga plan, was forced to retire in August 2012 after his arrest in February of that year. He is one of the convicts released by the Erdogan government. He has been appearing lately, in pro-government networks, preaching an aggressive line and promoting the idea that Turkey should engage militarily with Greece. Meanwhile, moves similar to those mentioned in the Suga plan have been made by Turkey, suggesting that Turkey has indeed reviewed and updated the plan to achieve the political goals pursued by both Erdogan’s Islamists and his nationalist allies, the who jointly command the Turkish army, gendarmerie and intelligence services in present-day Turkey.
