Israel’s envoy to Greece has accused Turkey of destabilising the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region, accusing the country of pushing for dominance as a regional superpower.
“Israel, Greece and Cyprus are aiming for the well-being of our own countries, and we are against nobody,” Israel’s ambassador to Greece, Noam Katz, told Euractiv in an interview, adding that instead of partnership, Ankara was “thinking along the lines of hegemony.”
“I hope that Turkey will become again a constructive player because it’s an important country in our region, but it seems unlikely in the foreseeable future,” he said.
Katz’s comments echo those of Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, who put Turkey in the same category as Russia and China in remarks to a German newspaper two weeks ago.
Relations between Israel and Turkey have been strained since the Hamas terrorist attacks in 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military response. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described Israel’s actions as war crimes, while defending Hamas as a “liberation movement”.
On Tuesday, Turkey denied clearance for the aircraft carrying Israeli President Isaac Herzog, which was en route to Astana, to fly through its airspace.
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Katz also called on Europeans to take into consideration that Ankara is currently threatening two EU member states, Greece and Cyprus, and should make it a “crucial element” in their future relationship with Turkey.
Turkey’s EU mission in Brussels did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKΡ) criticised Greece for seeking alliances with Israel and France. Paris was targeted after French President Emmanuel Macron renewed a military agreement with Greece on 17 April, which includes a mutual defence clause.
“If Turkey were to threaten Greece, we would be here,” Macron said.
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France is displaying “unjustified boldness and a certain recklessness” in its use of some extreme expressions against Turkey, AKΡ Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik commented. The Turkish official called on Macron to approach Turkey as a NATO ally and to do so “realistically”.
Ankara is pressuring Greece to resolve maritime disputes bilaterally without involving third parties, including the EU. “In the end, everyone else leaves and we are left on our own,” Çelik said, adding that he does not see the point for Greece to seek alliances with Israel and others.
Opposition to F-35
Katz said that Turkey’s “hostile” behaviour in the region is also a reason why Ankara’s request to rejoin the US F-35 fighter jet programme should be rejected. Last week, Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, said that the issue would be resolved soon.
“It will not contribute to stability in our region,” the Israeli diplomat said.
“Americans will decide, and America has its own interest, but they were very clear about the conditions and their expectations from Turkey. Israel believes that at this point to supply Turkey with these aircraft is not something that is desired in our region.”
Katz also expressed confidence in the “Great Sea Interconnector” project, which aims to link the power grids of Israel, Greece and Cyprus via a submarine power cable. The EU-funded project has been stalled due to financial disagreements between Greece and Cyprus.
“I strongly believe that it will be materialised in the near future,” he said, adding that the energy crisis in the Gulf is another reason to accelerate regional energy projects.
(bw, cs, mk)
Source:
www.euractiv.com