Turkey’s threats opposing Greece, in addition to an emerging rate of Covid-19 infection, are exacerbating the option of a recovery in the tourism sector, and stakeholders extend forecasts for older days until 2022.
Speaking on ANT1 TV, the deputy minister of tourism, Manos Konsolas, said that Greece was treating the coronavirus pandemic in a “dynamic” way, but believed that the negative effect on Greek tourism could last from 2021 to 2022.
“For tourism to develop, we want public health and safety,” Konsolas said, referring to the increased tension between Greece and Turkey.
Meanwhile, foreign ministers in Brussels were due to hold urgent talks on Friday about rising tensions between Greece and Turkey over rights to explore and exploit oil and fuel reserves in the Mediterranean.
Athens seeks EU help and imaginable sanctions from its opposing turkey partners.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened Greece over territorial waters, which he says belong to Turkey, adding that Greece will pay a “high price” if its exploration shipment in the eastern Mediterranean is “harassed.”
Without going through foreign law, Turkey sent Oruc Reis on Monday to explore the island of Kastellorizo, accompanied by Turkish warships near Cyprus and Crete.
In response, Greece put its armed forces on high alert and sent army ships to monitor the situation, it is not easy for Turkey to withdraw its ships.
Erdogan gave the impression of melting his threats Thursday night after receiving a call from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who asked for “a remnant of the factor and a more protective arrangement.”
First, it had insisted that Turkey would continue its oil and fuel exploration activities in the disputed waters until 23 August.
According to media reports, it appears that Athens has been consulted.
Meanwhile, Greece intensified its diplomatic assembly with Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
“The measures taken through some states in the eastern Mediterranean … lead the European Union to reconsider its relations with Turkey,” Dendias said.
France was one of the first to take action for Greece by strengthening its military presence in the region and sending two warships to the region on Thursday for joint training with Greece. It has also deployed two fighter jets in Crete.
Earlier this month, Turkey became enraged after Greece and Egypt reached a maritime agreement that defines the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the eastern Mediterranean between the two countries, allowing them to explore and exploit oil and fuel reserves in certain areas, among other things.
To exacerbate tensions, Turkey recently followed its condemned world-wide resolve to turn the UNESCO-listed Hagia Sophia church and museum into a mosque.
About GTP titles
Contact details
Visitor messages are welcome. Read the editorial rules here.