[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 81 (Friday, June 23, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NEW SPIRIT OF GREEK-TURKISH COOPERATION IN NATO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID L. HOBSON

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 23, 2000

  Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, there has been a remarkable step forward in 
the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey over the past two weeks as 
our two NATO allies have cooperated militarily as part of NATO's 
Dynamic Mix exercise in the eastern Mediterranean.
  Greek-Turkish military cooperation during this exercise marks a 
historic turning point. For the first time, 150 Turkish soldiers landed 
on a Greek beach as part of an alliance wargame to practice repelling 
an enemy assault on a NATO ally in its southern region. Turkish troops 
landed near where the Greeks began their 1821 war of independence 
against the Ottoman ancestors of modern day Turkey. As part of the 
maneuvers, Turkish warplanes also landed at a Greek airbase for the 
first time since 1972.
  Improved relations between Greece and Turkey started with low-level 
talks on non-contentious matters and were given a boost by mutual 
outpourings of assistance when destructive earthquakes struck both 
countries last year. Military cooperation between Greek and Turkish 
forces--which had been stalled by intractable disputes over the Aegean 
sea, airspace, sovereignty, militarization of islands, and Cyprus, 
since the early 1970s--could pave the way for further progress on 
bilateral problems. Although the two allies have not yet tackled these 
complex issues, their commitment to cooperation in NATO maneuvers in 
the eastern Mediterranean is an encouraging sign.
  Turkey made the first gesture on Aegean disputes this time by 
agreeing to file flight plans for its military aircraft participating 
in the exercise, a Greek demand even though the 1944 International 
Civil Aviation Organization accords do not require military aircraft 
flying in international airspace to do so. Greece accepted the goodwill 
offer by allowing the flight plans to be filed in NATO's southern 
region headquarters in Italy, rather than in Athens.
  Turkey is one of the staunchest NATO allies and continues to field 
the largest standing army in the Alliance after the United States. 
Turkey anchored NATO's southern flank from the time it joined the 
Alliance in 1952 through the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkey 
hosted NATO's southeastern land and air commands at Izmir, while 
counterpart headquarters in Larissa, Greece, were stood up just last 
fall. Turkey has played consistently in NATO exercises in the region, 
despite Greek boycotting of the maneuvers over disputed Aegean airspace 
and militarization of its islands.
  Greek-Turkish military cooperation in NATO's southern region is 
crucial for the Alliance to shore up its defenses in the eastern 
Mediterranean, respond to potential crises in the Middle East, and 
promote stability in the Balkan region. Our allies in the eastern 
Mediterranean have already become the new front line states for post 
Cold War conflicts, such as the Gulf War, the conflict in Bosnia, and 
the war in Kosovo. Further military gestures to circumvent longstanding 
Aegean disputes, such as Turkey's compromise this time, will strengthen 
bilateral relations between two key allies and bolster NATO's ability 
to defend its southern region in the 21st century.

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