giovedì 13 Febbraio 2025

Imia 1996: the chronicle of a betrayal

Never to be forgotten

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It has been 28 years since the night of January 31st, when Imia was practically turned into a grey zone, that marked the beginning of the end for Turkey’s military expansion and Greece’s political retreat at a national level in matters of foreign policy. Of course, “the night of Imia” was not a spontaneous and random event. Before history was led to that point, there has been a pre-anatomy of foreign policy on behalf of Greece, which was within the framework of a NATO logic that accompanied almost all governments from 1960 onwards.

Imia are two rocky islands, east of Kalymnos, the western Imia (big Imia) and the eastern Imia (small Imia or Imiopoula). With the Italian-Turkish agreement of 1932 and the Treaty of Paris in 1947, the Dodecanese, the complex of islands to which Imia also belong, were annexed back to Greece, and declared as a non-Turkish territory anymore. On that night in 1996, Turkey, through their, then, Prime Minister Tansu Çiler, had already called the Governmental Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (GCFAD) in which they decided to place Turkish navy SEALs in Imiopoula. Turkey, though, had already started the instigative actions about a month ago with a series of provocations, for example by hanging the Turkish flag in Imia, essentially questioning the status quo that has already been analyzed above. As another proof, we can recall the words of the Turkish Foreign Minister, Omer Akbel, who boldly stated that the Greek flag may remain on the islet of Imia, but it belongs to Turkey, a point of view that essentially revises the conditions that validate and recognize the territorial sovereignty of the Greek nation.

Turkish coastguard vessels arrive at Imia, off the coasts of Kalymnos, pushing the Greek coastguard to fast react by asking them to leave the territory. The Greek government calls immediate GCFAD, with the participation of the, then, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Th. Pangalos, of National Defense G. Arsenis and the head of Hellenic National Defense General Staff C. Lymberis. The movement of the Turks had already been reported by the port authorities, while in Imia the frigate Navarino, the fast attack craft (FAC) Pyrpolitis, the gunboat Panagopoulos, as well as other ships of the Greek Navy had arrived at Imia, where they met the Turkish warships Yavuz, Ege, Sultan and Gizar which were developed around Imia representing a reconnaissance patrol.

It should be noted that, at the same time, in Thrace the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Greece, under the commands of Colonel Manousos Paragioudakis, had mobilized and even demined the boarders in Evros, as a peace making move, so that the Greek army could operate in eastern Thrace in the event of a generalized escalation with Turkey. It is worth mentioning that the Muslim minority declared their loyalty to Greece through the Mufti of Thrace whο addressed Colonel Paragioudakis saying that “the Greek Muslims are at the disposal of Greece, as the Turks would slaughter them in case they fall into their hands”.

At 00:30 – RIBs with Turkish commandos leave from the Yavuz frigate and debark in western Imia. While another version claims that the RIBs with the Turkish frogmen started their course from Halicarnassus, only three miles away from the coasts of Imia, with estimated time of course only five minutes, with the Yavuz frigate covering them for the whole route. Meanwhile, in Athens there is an ongoing GCFAD when the American Pentagon notifies them about the debarkation.

At 01:00 – Admiral Lymberis aware of the movements of the Turks orders the Greek ships to lock the Turkish ships on their targets so that the units of the Turkish fleet will be harmed in case they advanced. The political leadership requests a recognition as to whether there, really, are Turkish frogmen on the islands. The Greek frogmen carry out a reconnaissance patrol in eastern Imia, but the weather, which is unstable, does not favor them in order to easily distinguish any movement.

At 03:30 – An order was given by the, then, head of the General Staff of Hellenic Navy (GSHN), Yannis Stagas, to disembark the frogmen in Imia who were on the gunboat “Polemistis” which was sailing around Imia. A few minutes before the start of the operation the order is recalled.

At 04:30 – The Turkish ministers confirm the operation of the Turkish commandos. At the same time, frigate Navarino orders the take-off of an Augusta Bell-230 helicopter with crew: captain Christodoulos Karathanasis, co-pilot Panagiotis Vlachakos and operator Hector Gialopsos, to attempt a reconnaissance for the possible existence of Turkish frogmen on the islands. The helicopter flies low with its searchlights on, to detect Turkish movements. Eventually, the crew spots a Turkish flag and zodiac boats in western Imia. The helicopter reports the presence of Turks on the islet and the frigate Navarino orders them to return. Then, the helicopter came under fire from the Turks and was shot down, even though the pilot Christodoulos Karathanasis tried to contact the frigate. After the intervention of the Americans, half an hour later the downing of the helicopter, an order for de-escalation was given causing the Greek Navy forces to return, humiliated, to their bases. Τhe taste of betrayal had to become sweeter, in a form of “high level” policy which through the mouth of Simitis (Avouri for some) served the turn of the Aegean into a grey zone, which was done only from our side. To this day, the Turks, with the logic of Lebensraum (living space), are trying to build the so-called “Western Defense Zone”, which was first mentioned at the Tripartite London Conference in 1960. According to Turkey, they want to expand to the islands of eastern Aegean, in order to create a security zone for either defensive or offensive purposes.

So, this greediness for territory of Turkey could not be perceived as a national tragedy by the modernization, resulted by the Agreement of Madrid in 1997, which put Turkey in Greek territorial waters. For economists, everything is a process of international economy, which is accountable to international usury. Having said that, they are driven by the need to achieve their selfish purposes, by controlling the production and the influx of foreigners, by confusing the general opinion, to change the labor relations for good. The Foreign Minister T. Pangalos, of the time, lighthearted stated: “let’s assume that the flag flew away”, while we counted three dead officers, killed by the incompetence of some political climbers, who were later re-elected by dint of the abundance of loans.

The sacrifice of those brave offices is more relevant than ever, as the current political leadership, which is ruled by a lot of anti-Semitism, is being equipped. At the same time, they are pursuing the Bicommunal Bizonal Federation (BBF) in Cyprus as well as the demilitarization of the islands indirectly, sending weapons for the sake of NATO to Ukraine, as Luxembourg or Switzerland were our next-door neighbors.

The blood of our heroes is not honored as it should. It is presented as a fiesta of some extremists, when in fact it is a day of national grieving. The Greek state, does not give the appropriate prestige to the day, renouncing its national purpose. This happens because the due honor to the Greek officers, rises obligations towards the eternal enemy, who does not appease.

The Davos agreement in 1988, and the recognition of the existence of Turkey in Greek territorial waters by the, then, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, led to the Madrid agreement in 1997, by Κ. Simitis, who was driven by the mentality “we claim nothing from anyone”, costing a great deal to the Greek nation. This mentality is a classic doctrine that sums up the whole idea of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). This was the beginning of the questioning of the territorial sovereignty of Greece. Turkey, officially, bargains with the Europeans, who take into account the logic of Turkish expansionism. As long as, Greece does not carry out the nationalization of Hellenic Vehicle Industry (ELVO), in order to start a Greek production of weaponry, and as long as they do not wish to create a Mediterranean union against Turkey, then neither EU nor NATO can save us. After all, David relied on his own strength to face Goliath. Only in this way will the Greek officers be vindicated who fell for a country which later thanked the Americans.

The fallen Greek officers of Imia are the first victims of a coming war. This war did not take place in 1996, but it certainly is an ongoing situation, since 1071 when the Seljuks captured Majikert, and later the European countries, united, faced them in Vienna (1529). Dear comrades, we much accept the fact that, Turkey, culturally, does not belong to Europe. When it was developing, Erdogan’s ancestors under the leadership of Ertorgul crossed the Asian steppes and when they found themselves in Europe, they besieged it.

The conniving EU does not realize that the borders of our European homeland stop in Greece and begin in Ukraine. Greece is the wall of Europe, and we should maintain it at all costs, not undermine them. Greek politicians are receptive to Turkey as they do not rule with national survival, on the contrary, the American commands turn them into traitors, with one goal: to stay in an institution like NATO which ultimately does not defend national borders. In the name of a realpolitic, EU does not hesitate to operate destructively towards one of its members, even if this means national dismemberment.

In 1996, the only ones who reacted to this national betrayal were the Greek nationalists of the Popular Association – Golden Dawn, where in an act of spontaneity a few hours after the Greek helicopter was shot down, they held a demonstration with the rallying cry “Three officers down in Imia, tramp, traitors, politicians.”

This slogan was “engraved” in the hearts of all Greek Nationalists, which historically indicates a significant truth. It is a fact that, from World War II onwards, all Greek governments, with some exceptions, made concessions at the expense of Greece for the sake of the NATO arbitration. For example, Konstantinos Karamanlis, when in 1955 the Greeks in Cyprus were fighting for their union with Greece, he did not officially support the Cypriot struggle, in order to avoid British reactions.

The sacrifice of the fallen is a reminder for all European citizens, that Europe is threatened, from Cyprus to Flanders, and from there to the Ukrainian steppes by the real eastern enemy, who sometimes is presented as a banker or even a commissioner. In conclusion, dear fellow competitors, the night of Imia concerns all Europeans who are seeking for a free Europe of nations. Because for us Greeks that night was a national humiliation with the signature of the Greek politicians, who allowed American arbitration while three Greek soldiers had been killed.

Last but not least, Europeans must understand the national problems of our countries and seek for solutions unified within the framework of a European solidarity that is essentially subordinated to our common origin, because the chimera of globalization threatens the cohesion of all of us both culturally and racially. Let’s not forget the naval battle of Nafpaktos where we Europeans beat the Ottoman beast through the sacred alliance and essentially defined the cultural characteristics of Europe.

by Tasos Sofoulis

Lieutenant Colonel Christodoulos Karathanasis

Lieutenant Colonel Panagiotis Vlahakos

Standard-bearer Hector Gialopsos

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