Another comment on the current tensions between Greece and Turkey (and a debate with a Turkish chauvinist– S.Mavroudeas PRESS TV 11-9-2020

Yesterday (11-9-2020) I was asked by PRESS TV to comment on the current tensions between Greece and Turkey.

I expressed the opinion that these tensions and war-mongering threats are coming from both sides, that is the Greek and the Turkish ruling elites. And that the peoples of Greece and Turkey have nothing to gain from this. The two ruling elites scramble for supposed oil reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean basin. The existence of these reserves is far from certain; and also, if they exist, it is equally uncertain whether it is economically feasible to exploit them (debth, price of oil etc.). The irony is that, even if they exist and one side or the other gets them, the ultimate beneficiary would be the big Western oil companies that will exploit them paying peanuts to the host country.

So, the Greek and the Turkish ruling elites are flirting with war for their own gains and the gains of their foreign patrons. The Greek and the Turkish peoples have nothing to gain from this. However, they will pay a bloody price in the case of a war as they will be the cannofodder for their ruling elites.

The solution is a return to the status quo ante and the cease of all aggressive actions by both sides.

The other commentator in the News programme was a Turkish analyst who expressed the typical nationalistic and war-mongering rhetoric of chauvinist jingoists in both sides of the Aegean. Notable, among his arguments, was the dictum that you can expand your borders by winning militarily. Typical rubbish by people that usually send other people to be massacred while they play the super-heroes safely at home.

The videos of the comment can be assesed via the following links:

https://urmedium.com/c/presstv/34705