By demonstrating militarily its support for Greece against Turkey in the territorial dispute between these two neighboring countries, France “is pouring oil on the fire”, a former admiral, craftsman of Ankara’s maritime ambitions, told AFP .
Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz, 62, is retired. But its vision is in power, in particular its doctrine of “blue homeland” which provides for the establishment of Turkish sovereignty over large swathes of the eastern Mediterranean.
Francophone and Francophile, he cannot restrain his anger against Paris, which last week deployed two warships and two Rafale planes to support Greece, which denounces Turkish searches for “illegal” hydrocarbons in its waters.
“They are threatening Turkey, do you realize? (…) I have had enough of the daily verbal attacks of (French President Emmanuel) Macron ”, chokes Mr. Gürdeniz, who receives AFP in a beautiful wooden house on the island of Heybeliada, offshore from Istanbul.
“If France continues the provocations (…), it will not help peace and stability.” It will only pour more oil on the fire, ”he warns.
The discovery of large gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean in recent years has whetted the appetite of the riparian countries and created tensions between Ankara and Athens, two NATO countries with long-standing territorial disputes.
As a sign of the volatility of the situation, a Greek ship and a Turkish ship collided last week in an area claimed by Athens where Ankara has deployed warships, according to a Greek military source.
“If Greece presses detente, it will be the end of NATO (…) European countries should put pressure on Greece so that it abandons” certain maritime claims, declares Mr. Gürdeniz.
“Rising power”
In this context of tensions, however, he calls for dialogue, to “think with coolness” and not “with the warm blood characteristic of Mediterranean people”.
“This conflict will only end when Greece and Turkey sit at the same table and talk to each other. Without the intervention of the EU or the United States, ”he adds.
Describing himself as a “servant of the state without political affiliation”, Mr. Gürdeniz welcomes several decisions taken by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but regrets the almost total isolation of Ankara in the eastern Mediterranean.
He thus qualifies as an “error” the rupture of relations with Egypt in 2013, after the overthrow of the president from the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Morsi. And believes that “progress” should have been made in the icy relations with Israel.
Despite these difficulties, this easy-smiling soldier says he is “optimistic”, noting a “growing interest of young people” for maritime issues in Turkey.
“I do a lot of interviews with YouTubers,” he says proudly.
Believing that the Turkish military navy is “number 1” in the Eastern Mediterranean, Mr. Gürdeniz believes that Turkey should be more ambitious.
“The Mediterranean is only 1% of the oceans and seas in the world. Turkey must go beyond this 1%, ”he said. “Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Atlantic: Turkey should have a presence there, as a symbol of a rising power”.