‘TurkAegean’ campaign draws tensions between Turkey and Greece

The “TurkAegean” tourism campaign, part of the Turkish efforts to boost their country’s number of visitors, has triggered an angry response from Athens. Nevertheless, Turkish officials believe it is time to put an end to the region being associated with Greece only and during the last month of the last year they requested the EU’s intellectual property office to trademark ‘TurkAegean’.

The approval was issued last week and Greek politicians did not respond well to the decision.

“Some people, quite simply, did not do their job well. Obviously the government will exhaust every legal possibility to deal with this development,” the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, commented during the recent NATO summit in Madrid.

The two nations have long disputed territorial sovereignty in the sea region. Nevertheless, the European Commission vice-president, Margaritis Schinas, demanded a review regarding the approval of the EU office via an official letter to Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market.

On the other hand, the Turkish culture and tourism minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, declared while referring to the port of Ephesus and ruins of the ancient Troy:

“The Turkish Aegean is one of the most exquisite regions Turkey has to offer. It boasts coastlines wrapped in clear blue water, numerous historical sites dating back to the second century BC, and idyllic beaches to soak up the beaming sun.”

On a positive note however, advocates for cordial relations highlight that the two countries might have more in common than they like to admit.

The current campaign comes among existing tension between the two countries. According to Greek politicians’ opinion, the TurkAegean slogan must be regarded from the point of view of the upcoming Turkish elections in 2023.

“It is not just an innocent advert but another argument that is being used to ultimately question our sovereignty over Greek islands in the Aegean and our rights in maritime economic zones. If they were just saying that they have coastline in the Aegean, that, of course, is geographically right. But the term implies, as a corollary of their propaganda, that all, or most, of the Aegean is Turkish and that is clearly wrong”, commented the former foreign minister and left-wing Syriza MP George Katrougalos.

Greece will also face elections this September, so analysts do not rule out the rise of further tensions between the two states, that could even trigger a military response.

“There has been a very aggressive, almost apocalyptic upgrading of Turkish claims in the Aegean. It is like Turkey is preparing the international audience for what could possibly lie ahead”, said believes Constantinos Filis, professor of international relations at the American College of Greece.

 

source: theguardian.com