Ekathimerini : All Quiet in the Eastern Mediterranean ...for now

 

All Quiet in the Eastern Mediterranean… for now[Mehmet Sirin Topaloglu/InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to this week’s Kathimerini English Edition. My name is Constantine, and I am here to guide you through the week’s important stories. Growing fears over escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean were temporarily assuaged, while the wiretapping affair continues to cast a shadow over domestic politics. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the launching ceremony of the country’s newest drilling ship, the Abdulhamid Han. To the relief of many in Athens and Nicosia, Erdogan announced that the vessel would be operating in an uncontested area on the boundary of the Antalya Gulf. This development is clearly one of the better-case scenarios as it was earlier believed that the Abdulhamid Han would sail closer to Cyprus, even operating within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). As pointed out by Kathimerini’s Diplomatic and Defense Correspondent Vassilis Nedos, the move could be seen to signify the desire for calm in the Eastern Mediterranean. Nedos also points out that the belief in Athens seems to be that there was significant pressure on Erdogan from Washington and Berlin to avoid tension, particularly at a time when the NATO alliance is already being tested in Ukraine. While the possibility of a repeat of the summer of 2020 seems to grow slimmer, there are few illusions that this marks a long-term détente between Greece and Turkey. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar repeated an indirect threat that the Greek island of Kastellorizo is within swimming distance from the Turkish coast, before accusing Greece on Friday of expansionism. To this can be added the continued practice of violating Greece’s airspace. In other words, it may be relatively quiet, but it is business as usual. Domestically, the week began with an address by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the wiretapping of PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis. The prime minister stated that, while lawful, the wiretapping was a mistake of which he was not aware and that the National Intelligence Service mishandled a politically sensitive issue. The address did little to calm opposition parties however, as both PASOK and main opposition party SYRIZA continue levelling accusations of impropriety at the government, with Androulakis publicly refusing a private briefing by the government on Wednesday while calling for absolute transparency. President Katerina Sakellaropoulou also released a statement on Tuesday, stating that there must be a thorough investigation of the controversial affair as the right to privacy was a “fundamental condition of a democratic and liberal society”.