Greek media: 'Ankara is winning... Türkiye's golden opportunity'

MİLLİYET.COM.TR / In an analysis published on the Greek-based Militaire website, it is stated that the US/Israeli-Iranian war in the Middle East is reshaping the balance of power in the region, and Türkiye is the most prominent actor in this process.

'ANKARA IS WINNING, ATHENS REMAINS SILENT'

Political analyst Vasilis Lykos wrote: "While the international community is watching the conflict in the Middle East with bated breath, another development is taking place almost silently but with enormous consequences for the future of the region. The big winner in this crisis is neither Washington, nor Tehran, nor Tel Aviv, but Ankara, which has been able to maintain dialogue channels with both the US and Iran from the very beginning. Athens remains silent in the face of this new geopolitical reality."

'KEY PLAYER OF THE FUTURE'

"Without being directly involved in the war, without paying the price of conflict, Türkiye is emerging as one of the key players of the future in the Middle East, " the analysis said, emphasizing that Türkiye's geopolitical influence is growing rapidly under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a time when the military, economic and political resources of other countries in the region are being eroded .

'INDISPENSABLE FOR NATO'

"Türkiye remains indispensable for NATO, useful for Europe's energy security and essential for any mediation effort in the Middle East, " the assessment said, noting Türkiye's growing critical importance for the West.

'TÜRKİYE HAS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY'

Ankara's regional policies were also covered extensively in the analysis. "Ankara has not abandoned its 'Blue Homeland' rhetoric, its strategy for the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and, of course, Cyprus. On the contrary, they have a golden opportunity to emerge as the indispensable power of the region at a time when other actors are exhausted."

'THE ERA OF SELF-DECEPTION IS OVER'

On the other hand, Greece is facing serious structural problems, the article said : "Energy instability increases the cost of living. Sea transportation routes are under threat. The balance in the Eastern Mediterranean is changing. And most importantly: international attention is turning away from Greece."

The analysis also included a striking warning to Athens. "Athens must realize that the era of self-deception is over. The idea that we can limit Türkiye's moves has been debunked many times. Great powers do not act according to who is right, but according to who is useful."

'THE REAL THREAT'

"Today, as cruel as it may seem to Greece, the West loves Türkiye even more," it added.

"The real danger is that we are waking up to a new geopolitical reality in which Ankara has become a dominant player everywhere from the Caucasus to Libya, from Syria to the eastern Mediterranean, while Athens can only watch," it said in one of the most striking sections of the analysis.

'WE ARE SHRINKING WHILE THE TURKS ARE GROWING'

Lykos concluded his analysis by saying: "Wars do not only change borders, they also change power relations. If the conflict in the Middle East continues, there is a clear possibility that the big winners will not be those who fight, but those who get their strategy right, namely Türkiye, which is a big risk for Athens. While the Turks are growing, we are shrinking," he concluded.