A crucial crossroads for foreign policy
The months ahead will be exceptionally significant for our foreign policy – full of opportunities as well as risks – as Athens appears to have opted for an active strategy involving diplomatic and economic tools as regards Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue. This week, Costas Karamanlis’s government sent some crucial messages to Ankara. Indeed, the National of Bank of Greece’s decision to buy a major share in Turkey’s Finansbank is evidently not purely a business move. It is also concrete evidence that Athens is firmly supportive of Ankara’s bid to join the European Union and also provides a much-needed boost for the beleaguered government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But alongside the «carrot» represented by this week’s banking deal, Athens also sent an unambiguous message to Ankara – via Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis – that its EU bid will remain inextricably linked to its adherence to the acquis communautaire; and this last message has particular resonance ahead of the first round of negotiations between Turkish and EU officials which are due to start next month. The government has been just as firm on the Cyprus issue. FM Bakoyannis has made it clear, during her visits to Washington and Nicosia, that the «Annan plan is history» – a stance that permits her to launch constructive talks with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos with the aim of drafting the prerequisites for a new reunification blueprint. Basically, Athens is seeking to gradually influence the diplomatic climate to permit the creation of «opportunities» over the next few months. The risk, however, is if Ankara refuses to respond to Greece’s gestures and continues its strategy of aggravation in the Aegean.
