Is Turkey itching for tension? Officials fear so

The Foreign Ministry opted for a mild response Wednesday to Turkish allegations that Greece is undermining the climate of relatively good relations, but officials increasingly believe that the Turkish government, partly due to domestic political pressure, may opt, at a time of its own choosing, to return to the period of high tension that prevailed from 2020 to 2023.

What sparked Turkey’s reaction was a mention by Energy and Environment Minister Theodoros Skylakakis about the establishment of two sea parks, one in the Aegean Sea, that will include a number of islets.

Since the mid-1990s, Ankara has disputed the sovereignty of several islets, some close to Turkey’s coast and others further from it. The two countries came close to war in 1996 over two such islets.

Turkey should not turn a purely environmental issue into a political one, the Foreign Ministry said.