OPINION

Opinion

. ..Turkey, which is a NATO but not an EU member state, refuses to allow Europe to use NATO military infrastructure and capabilities on its territory unless it has a say in Europe’s military planning and campaigns, on the grounds that the area of the Caucasus, the Balkans, Northern Iraq and the Middle East lie within its zone of interest. Ankara’s claim is clearly grounded, as the trouble spot borders on Turkish territory and the so-called European defense framework is, essentially, based on NATO support. If the EU wishes to create an independent European defense force, then it has to wean itself from the USA and undertake the cost of creating new infrastructure. If it is not prepared to do this, its objection to Turkey’s participation in military campaigns in volatile regions near its borders is merely theoretical and bypasses the more substantial issue, namely, the absence of an independent European defense force… What concerns Greece’s interests is that the Aegean Sea and Cyprus cannot be excluded from the Eurocorps’ area of responsibility, as Greece and the Aegean Islands are EU territory, and as Cyprus will also be after its accession. Therefore, it is not possible to neutralize these areas, as they will be later used to serve the needs of European defense…

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