'"Two drops of urine" to the politics of Dendias and Ilhan Ahmet', milliyet writer says

Özay Şendir, columnist of Milliyet Newspaper, one of the most important media organisations in Türkiye, evaluated the mentality that wants to overshadow the recent rapprochement between Türkiye and Greece in his column today.

In his column titled "Dirty shadows on the Athens - Ankara line", Şendir stated that Greek Defence Minister Dendias is trying to undermine the process between Athens and Ankara for his personal interests.

The author stated that Rodopi Pasok MP Ilhan Ahmet had previously done things like "targeting the Turkish Consulate General in Komotini in an effort to be more Greek than Greek" and that Ilhan Ahmet met in the same line with Dendias in his interview with Kathimerini.

Comparing the normalisation between Türkiye and Greece to clean water, author Şendir likened the words of people like Dendias and İlhan Ahmet to two drops of urine and emphasised that we would not be able to stomach drinking this water mixed with two drops of urine.

Milliyet newspaper columnist Özay Şendir's column today is as follows:

"Dirty shadows on the Athens - Ankara line

23 February 2024

Consider a 19 litre carboy of water.

If someone mixes two drops of urine in that water without our knowledge, we drink it and do not understand anything.

On the other hand, if two drops of urine were mixed into that carboy in front of our eyes, we would not be able to stomach drinking that water.

Let us continue by considering the normalisation of Turkish-Greek relations as clean water.

President Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, who will visit Türkiye in May, stand behind this process and will not allow the water to be poisoned.

On the other hand, the current Minister of National Defence Dendias, who spent his term as Foreign Minister by being hostile to Türkiye in order to realise his dream of becoming the Prime Minister of Greece, is trying to pollute that water.

The Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, a wise man, removed Dendias from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because he realised that he was working more for his own political goals than for Greece and moved him to the Ministry of Defence, where he would not find much space for political interlocutors.

But Dendias does not stop. Since the first day of the rapprochement between Athens and Ankara, he has been working and speaking against the process.

Greek Minister of National Defence Dendias' latest stunt was this;

Greece conducted an exercise on one of the islands that Türkiye said should be demilitarised.

Türkiye responded to this exercise with Notam in the air and Navtex at sea.

The rapprochement process means an effort to solve the problems by talking, and until that day, the countries maintain their positions.

***

Dendias first authorised the exercise, knowing that it would cause problems, and when Ankara reacted, he started shouting "Turks cannot be friends".

Dendias' political ambitions and aims are clear, I am not surprised by his actions, but I am surprised by the PASOK MP Ilhan Ahmet who supports him.

İlhan Ahmet graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Law.

He should be one of the names who knows best that Türkiye has no eyes on Greek territory. Recently, in an effort to be more Greek than Greek, he has done things like targeting the Turkish Consulate of Komotini.

He was on my radar at the time, and last week I received complaint mails about him for saying yes to gay marriage, but I ignored them.

After all, a Greek MP can make any decision he wishes, any decision he feels comfortable with, and no one can interfere.

However, İlhan Ahmet's alignment with Dendias in his interview with Kathimerini is a point that affects all of us.

Therefore, it is an inevitable conclusion to be questioned here as well...

***

Milliyet continues to work with our friends in Athens, especially Kathimerini, to contribute to Turkish-Greek rapprochement.

In Athens and here, too, there are many people who do not believe in the process.

Not believing in the process is one thing, trying to undermine the process in the name of personal interests is another...

The words of people like Dendias and Ilhan Ahmet will continue to be two drops in our endeavour to talk about peace, to protect and multiply clean water.

History will eventually write everyone as they deserve..."