Making Some Sense of the Eastern Mediterranean Saber Rattling (AUDIO INTERVIEW)

The Media Line speaks with Turkey hand Gokhan Bacik about Ankara’s tough stance on its presence in the Aegean Sea

Two old foes from the eastern Mediterranean – Turkey and Greece – are rattling sabers again. At issue now is the specter of rich natural gas fields beneath the sea, primarily in, but not limited to, the Aegean.

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Last week, Turkish warplanes turned back Greek jets in the skies over these waters, and the question is where this might lead. Turkey is already testing the European Union’s willingness to back Athens as well as the Republic of Cyprus, another EU member state whose waters Ankara covets.

For strategic fortification, both sides have concluded maritime pacts with other regional players – Turkey with Libya, Greece with Egypt – adding potential for an even wider conflict.

The Media Line spoke with Prof. Gokhan Bacik, a political scientist affiliated with Palacky University in the Czech Republic, to learn more about what Turkey and its leadership have in mind.