TURKEY MOVES FORWARD (AGAIN) ON AEGEAN CBMS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002730 SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2025 TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR TU GR SUBJECT: TURKEY MOVES FORWARD (AGAIN) ON AEGEAN CBMS REF: A. ATHENS 1068 ¶B. ANKARA 1900 Classified By: Political Military Affairs Counselor Timothy A. Betts fo r reason 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: The CBMs announced during Greek FM Molyviatis' visit to Turkey are on track after a temporary freeze while TGS waited to see Athens' response to a mid-April incident when a desecrated Turkish flag was placed in the room of a Turkish cadet on an official exchange to the Greek military academy. With a satisfactory apology and an incident-free visit by TU navy cadets to the Greek naval academy, TGS is prepared to move forward again. However, there are a few backward steps on the horizon as well. End summary. -------------- After a bumpy patch, CBMs back on track -------------- ¶2. (C) Turkish General Staff (TGS) J-5 Greece/Cyprus Chief RADM Mucahit Sislioglu told polmilcouns on May 11 that TGS was again moving forward with the four CBMs announced during the April visit to Ankara by Greek Foreign Minister Molyviatis: A direct line between the two countries' national air control centers, the exchange of military personnel studying the other country's language, sports activities between academies in each country, and disaster response training and exercises. Sislioglu explained that work on the last three of these were frozen following an incident in Greece at the time of the Molyviatis visit when a desecrated Turkish flag was found in the room of a visiting Turkish cadet at the Greek military academy. CHOD Ozkok had demanded in an April 20 speech a formal apology and a thorough investigation from Greek authorities. Sislioglu reported that a formal letter of apology from the Greek Army Chief, a public pledge to find the perpetrators, and a successful ("excellent," "perfect") visit by a group of TU Navy cadets to the Greek naval academy this month had convinced TGS to resume work on these CBMs. Sislioglu intended to write the orders necessary the afternoon of May 11 to begin planning for the exchange/training activities. (The Turks continued their work on equipping the Eskisehir National Air Control Center to accommodate the agreed hot line without any suspension.) ¶3. (C) In addition, Sislioglu noted that the Greek Army Chief had several days earlier sent a formal invitation for Turkish Land Forces Commander GEN Buyukanit to visit Greece. (DAO Ankara reported earlier that Buyukanit's staff was already preparing for the trip.) Also, Greece had invited the Turkish navy to send a unit to a national exercise in the Ionian Sea and Turkey had accepted. This would be the first time in 30 years that the Turkish and Greek navies had participated in an exercise outside of the NATO umbrella, according to Sislioglu. -------------- More bumps to come -------------- ¶4. (C) "Turkey is ready to do everything," Sislioglu exclaimed. However, the Greek side seemed less eager, he observed. The Greeks had recently approached Ankara to get the Turks to rescind its acceptance of the invitation to participate in an international air show at Tanagra AB this September. (TGS had accepted and announced it would send the TUAF aerobatics team to perform -- ref b.) Instead, the Greeks said a static display would be preferable. Sislioglu assumed this was because Greek authorities did not want to be seen authorizing high performance Turkish aircraft to fly in Greek territory. He said Turkey was pulling out of the air show. "They should be careful that they only invite us when they want us," Sislioglu opined. ¶5. (C/NF) Another potential problem Sislioglu relayed "in confidence" was the Turkish Air Force's recommendation to TGS that Turkey stop its practice since 2002 of filing Daily Flight Schedules (DFS) of its Aegean flights with NATO. He said TUAF argued that this unilateral gesture to the Greeks has not only gone un-reciprocated but the Greeks continue to complain publicly about the TUAF's refusal to file flight plans. This situation makes it increasingly difficult to explain the practice to the troops, TUAF reportedly complained. Sislioglu said TGS was still staffing the TUAF recommendation. He expected MFA would argue against rescinding a practice in the Aegean at this time. ¶6. (C/NF) Polmilcouns argued that Turkey had worked hard on the Cyprus issue and on its relations with Athens in recent years. While the GOG may not have responded to Turkey's filing DFS, neither had it taken any more provocative action than it was taking before 2002. Complaints about TUAF violations of the Athens FIR were not new, neither were the Greek interception of TUAF fighters in the Aegean. Taking a step backwards risked Turkey's ceding the moral high ground. He urged Sislioglu to reject the request. ¶7. (C) Regarding recent Greek press stories alleging historically high numbers of Turkish AF violations of the Athens FIR and Greek airspace, Sislioglu asserted that Turkey has returned to the pre-2003 level of 400-500 flights per month in the Aegean. Sislioglu indicated that he monitors the level of Turkish activity closely to ensure it stays within TGS-determined bounds. -------------- Frustrations Normal -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) Comment: Sislioglu has warned us before that Greek complaints following the 2004 Olympics about increased TUAF Aegean flights were increasingly irritating officers within TGS. Nonetheless, we suspect that the frustration is more at TUAF headquarters where senior leaders are growing uncomfortable defending what they and their troops see as Turkey's restraint in the face of continued provocation. The decision to move forward on other CBMs following the flag incident suggests this frustration has not yet reached the same level in TGS. However, as even Sislioglu admitted, Turks are an emotional people and Ankara, including the military, is not above following emotions rather than reason. We will need to continue to encourage TGS to reach out to their Greek counterparts. End Comment. EDELMAN