by Burak Akinci
ANKARA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- As Turkey hopes for a new era of ties with Greece under new Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, experts have gloomy predictions regarding progress on issues such as the Aegean Sea and the more immediate hydrocarbon drillings off Cyprus.
"I called Mitsotakis and congratulated him. My wish is to open this new chapter with Greece in peace and in solidarity. Our desire is not to experience any sort of difficulty in the Mediterranean or the Aegean in the upcoming period," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Monday.
"Resolving disputes with Greece is very difficult for Turkey. Whoever comes to power in Athens, one should not expect any change in Greece's stance toward Turkey or unresolved problems between them," said Hasim Turker, a senior researcher at the Ankara-based think tank Bosphorus Center for Asian Studies.
Turker predicted more frictions between the two countries in the coming period, especially over hydrocarbon drillings in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"Turkey has vital interests in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean and will never let its interest baffled by any other country. In this context, we cannot completely rule out the possibility of a hot conflict, although it is unlikely to happen," said the former navy officer who led several missions off Cyprus.
Turkey and Greece experienced serious tensions in the past over disputed zones in the shared Aegean Sea. They came to the brink of an armed conflict in 1996 because of sovereignty claims by both sides on islets in the Aegean.
Another source of immediate conflict is over the ongoing drilling activities for hydrocarbon reserves off Cyprus.
Turkey and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an entity recognized solely by Turkey, have long condemned the Greek government for conducting activities in the disputed waters of the Eastern Mediterranean, claiming that the Greece violated the rights of Turkey and the underwater reserves belong to both communities.
Turkey and Cyprus have both claimed jurisdiction over areas around Cyprus, a region rich in natural gas. Turkey has also sent two ships to the Eastern Mediterranean for hydrocarbon drilling, causing the ire of the European Union.
The Cyprus island has been divided since 1974 when Turkey intervened militarily following a coup by Athens-backed Greek Cypriots.
Erdogan reaffirmed on Monday Ankara's determination to moving forward in its efforts to explore gas off Cyprus despite warnings from the Europeans.
Earlier in the day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry published a strong-worded statement, rejecting Greek and EU's accusation of Turkish drilling off Cyprus as "illegitimate."
"Greece relies mainly on the EU to defend its territorial claims, and the fact that Cyprus is divided adds to the controversy," said Murat Onsoy, a scholar from International Relations Department of Hacettepe University.
However, the expert predicted that the new Greek government would also try to adopt a conciliatory approach toward Ankara so as to save military expenditures in a time of acute economic difficulties in the country.
"The main reason why Mitsotakis and his party won the elections is the country's economic situation and as Turkey is an important economic partner, the new government would want dialogue, but on the other hand, it will utilize the EU to try to exert pressure on Turkey," remarked Onsoy.
Nevertheless, both Turkish experts underlined the need of Turkey to repair sour ties with other Mediterranean countries such as Egypt, Israel and Syria, in order to be able to defend Turkey's regional interests in the framework of international law and diplomacy.
