MİLLİYET.COM.TR / The steps taken by Turkey expand Ankara's area of action in the region, while also shaking the strategic plan that Athens has built on for years.
Greek analyst George Koutsoumis, who wrote an analysis in Greece-based Capital.gr, wrote that Turkey's opening to Benghazi while maintaining its existing relations with Tripoli and developing a functional channel with Egypt regarding Libya changed the balances in the region.
'THE RULES OF THE GAME ARE CHANGING'
Koutsoumis: “The rules of the game are changing: What are the risks for Greece?” In his analysis titled, he drew attention to the new picture of Ankara's Libya policy. According to the analyst, Türkiye is now a strong regional actor that does not follow the developments in Libya through a single center, but can establish contact with different political and military actors of the country at the same time.
'Türkiye'S AREA OF INFLUENCE IS EXPANDING'
One of the most striking topics of the analysis was the visits from Turkey to Libya. The Greek analyst claimed, "All these visits revealed that Ankara has expanded its diplomatic movement and sphere of influence in Libya. While Turkey maintains its relations and existing agreements with the Tripoli administration, it also creates direct communication channels with political and military actors in Benghazi."
'ALL ATHENS' ACCOUNTS ARE BEING DISTURBED'
On the other hand, according to Koutsoumis, the most important result of the development for Greece emerges at this point.
The Greek analyst pointed out that one of the factors that was hoped to be in favor of Athens for years was the disagreement between Ankara and Cairo, but recently the relations between Turkey and Egypt have been in a positive atmosphere, and said, "Türkiye's direct contact with Benghazi has started to change this picture. Thus, Turkey is rising to a position that can keep communication channels open in both the west and east of Libya. All of Athens' plans are being ruined."
'THEY TAKE ANKARA INTO ACCOUNT'
Another development that increases Türkiye's influence in Libya is the intensification of contacts on the Cairo-Ankara line. Koutsoumis said, "Thus, Turkey and Egypt are moving towards a new ground where they can act without excluding each other, unlike the positions they faced in Libya before. The critical point here is that Türkiye becomes a permanent actor that is taken into account by Egypt rather than being excluded from the Libyan equation."
'GREECE HAS THREE PRIORITIES'
According to Koutsoumis, the real risk for Greece is whether Ankara will seek a new or modified agreement with greater political legitimacy within Libya in the future. The Greek analyst pointed out that Athens has three main priorities in the face of the changing situation and said, "The first priority is the preservation of our strategic relationship with Cairo, regardless of the course of Turkey-Egypt relations. The second priority is the strengthening of the Greek presence in both Tripoli and Benghazi. The third priority is the acceleration of the Greece-Libya border determination process."
'SIEGE TRIANGLE'
