Britain in denial over EU-Turkey time bomb

Britain seems oblivious to the threat posed by growing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean between Turkey on the one side, and European Union countries such as Greece, France, and Cyprus on the other, columnist Mark Almond said in the Telegraph on Thursday.

The British Foreign Office provides travel advisories for danger zones, but its advice about Greek islands in the eye of the storm close to the Turkish coast is about the risk of COVID-19, rather than the threat of an armed confrontation.

Greece has deployed naval vessels and the air force to shadow Turkey’s seismic exploration ship Oruç Reis, which arrived with Turkish warships on Monday in a territorially disputed area – a move which Athens described as a threat to peace and stability in the region.

Britain also still has two military bases on Cyprus, and Turkish troops still occupy the northern half of the island.

“British expats and tourists in Cyprus might continue to enjoy a quiet life if the tensions lift, but there is little sign that London is alert to the risks to them and our military there,” Almond said.

“Nonchalance in a crisis can be an impressive pose, but the lassitude gripping British foreign policy this mid-summer is a symptom of a deeper confusion in Whitehall about what this country’s role should be around the world post-Brexit,” he added.