Israel – Hamas: Greece’s position in the Middle East and “the protector of Muslims” Erdogan

09:57 17/10/2023 - Πηγή: Τα Νεα

The developments in the war in Israel and the situation in the Gaza Strip were the subject of the telephone conversation between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as officially announced by both sides.

Athens believes, according to government sources, that it could play

a role, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis noting to Recep Tayyip Erdogan “the need to avoid a humanitarian crisis and not threaten regional stability.”

At the same time, the Turkish president pointed out that Ankara “has made every effort to end this conflict process, which can have extremely negative consequences on a regional and global scale, and will continue to do so.”

While expressing the view that “countries in the region must make efforts to stop conflicts and human rights violations, as well as maintain peace and give a message to the world in this direction, he stated that it would be right to measures should be taken as soon as possible to reduce tensions and not increase them”.

The pursuit of Erdogan

Erdoğan also did not follow the West’s footsteps in the Israel-Hamas war. The opposite. He chose his own path, seeking to put Turkey at the center as a mediator. Leaning clearly towards Hamas.

“The US is sending an aircraft carrier. Mr. America What are you doing there? Where is America, where is Israel and Palestine?’ stated the Turkish president in a speech on October 12, while wondering where the West stands in the blockade of Gaza. In the same speech to his party’s deputies, Erdogan accused Israel of “massacre”.

The Turkish president is also looking for a role for Ankara in this conflict. He strongly criticizes the USA and the West for their attitude, while at the same time he also turns his fire on Israel, showing that he does not count on the rapprochement for which he himself fought so hard.

On Monday, the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had a telephone conversation with the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, as reported by Turkish media, regarding developments in Palestine and the possibility of releasing civilian hostages.

On Tuesday Fidan is making an official visit to Lebanon with the subject of current regional and international developments.

It is recalled that the Turkish Foreign Minister was the head of the Turkish secret services and has been involved in negotiations in the past, especially behind the scenes.

Erdogan also in this case appears willing to become the protector of Muslims. To show that he has influence and can act as a catalyst in developments.

Some wonder if the new Erdoğan-West conflict can also affect Greece-Turkey relations. To once again open the door to the rhetoric of tension and threats. However, the Mitsotakis-Erdogan communication on Monday did not show anything of the sort. Rather, he confirmed the open channels of communication with the Mitsotakis initiative showing a willingness to prevent even tensions that could arise as a result of other crises.

Erdogan will clearly not be left out of the Middle East diplomatic game. However, it is too early to talk about a rupture in US-Turkey relations.