We use cookies on this website. By continuing to use this site without changing your cookie settings, you agree that you are happy to accept our privacy policy and for us to access our cookies on your device.
Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Turkey Greece (TV)
HEADLINE: Greek Prime Minster Heads to Turkey Amid Rising Tensions
TEASER: Greek PM heads to Turkey Sunday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Tensions are escalating between Greece and Turkey as Greek Prime Minister heads to Turkey
PUBLISHED AT: 3/11/2022 AT 8:10AM
BYLINE: Dorian Jones
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Istanbul
VIDEOGRAPHER: Berke Bas DO NOT USE NAME FOR SECURITY REASONS
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, BR
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA ORIGINAL, REUTERS AFP, MANDATORY COURTISY SKYPE
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:08
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
((INTRO))
[[Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis heads to Turkey Sunday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid rising tensions between the neighboring countries. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul the escalating tensions have already claimed victims.]]
((NARRATOR))
The deaths from freezing of 19 migrants on the Turkish side of the Greek border in February sparked a vicious war of words between Athens and Ankara, each seeking to blame the other for the tragedy.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan escalated tensions further by questioning the sovereignty of Greek islands in the shared Aegean Sea
So Greek Prime Minister’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis visit to Ankara Sunday is taking place as concerns grows in Athens over Turkish intentions.
((Radio Track: Cengiz Aktar is a political science professor at Athens University))
((Cengiz Aktar, Athens University - ((in English))
((Mandatory cg: SKYPE))
“Turkey is exactly like Russia, there are no checks, no balances, no opposition because the opposition is even more royalist than the king. They are very, very radical when it comes to Greece and Cyprus.”
((NARRATOR))
But Ankara is alarmed over the rapid rearmament program by Greece. Athens has acquired sophisticated fighter jets and warships – creating fears in Turkey that the balance of power could tip in favor of Greece.
Turkish and Greek warplanes frequently engage in mock dog fights over contested airspace.
Deepening military cooperation between Athens and the United States and eastern Mediterranean countries is also a major concern for Turkey, according to an Erdogan advisor, Mesut Casin.
((Mesut Casin, Advisor to Turkish President (male in Turkish))
((Mandatory cg: SKYPE))
“Greece’s excessive armament and its maximalist desires of expanding to Turkish territory, combined with Cyprus, threaten Turkey both in the Mediterranean and in the Aegean. Their jets can hit Turkey’s Aegean coast in six minutes and their modern rockets threaten Turkey’s defenses.”
((NARRATOR))
Some analysts warn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is setting a dangerous example for the region.
((Radio Track: Sezin Oney is a political columnist))
((Sezin Oney, PolitikYol Columnist ((male in English) VOA ORIGiNAL- ON CAMERA)
“In this very militaristic perspective, hard power perspective presiding over all countries psyche, I think Greece and Turkey will also from time to time go on clashing (with) each other militarily, hopefully not like what we see in Ukraine.”
((NARRATOR))
But rapprochement efforts by Israel and Turkey underscored by Wednesday’s visit to Ankara by Israel’s president could help defuse Greek Turkish tensions.
((Radio track: According to Soli Ozel at the Kadir Has University))
((Soli Ozel - Kadir Has University ((Male in english) VOA ORIGiNAL- ON CAMERA)
“The visit of the Israeli president they are also giving a message to their partners in the East Med forum that Israel does not wish to be part of the Greek and Greek-Cypriot, tug of war with Turkey either and that in my judgment, may also have a stabilizing impact.”
((NARRATOR))
With Turkey and Greece relying heavily on tourism to boost their weakened economies, some analysts predict Mitsotakis will look to his meeting with Erdogan to seek a commitment to avoid tensions, at least during the lucrative summer season.
((Dorian Jones, for VOA News, Istanbul))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMarch 11, 2022 08:11 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
