MOMENTARY PARTNERS: THE LIMITATIONS OF THE GREEK-TURKISH DISASTER DIPLOMACY IN 2023

Abstract

In February 2023, major earthquakes struck the southern part of Türkiye, while significant tensions in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean dominated the Greek-Turkish relations. A few weeks later, dozens of civilians were killed when a train overturned in Tempe, Greece. Greece was among the first countries to aid Türkiye after the earthquakes and Türkiye reciprocated by expressing its condolences to Greece for the great train accident. Thus, 24 years after the 1999 earthquakes in Greece and Türkiye, which triggered the first wave of disaster diplomacy between the two countries, a new opportunity for dialogue and cooperation emerged in 2023. This paper intents to review two waves of Greek-Turkish disaster diplomacy in 1999 and 2023 with the aim of establishing their correspondence to the theory of disaster diplomacy. It also intends to compare two waves and point out similarities and differences. Moreover, the paper intends to argue that disaster itself does not lead to new diplomatic initiatives. As it is evident in the case of Greek-Turkish relations after the two waves of disaster diplomacy, cooperation can help build trust and goodwill between countries. Nevertheless, if disaster diplomacy does not develop into something more than a tactical diplomatic move and if the countries do not rush to instrumentalize the brief window of opportunity offered by the disasters, then the accumulated problems are expected to overshadow the attempts of building a long-lasting cooperation once again.

Keywords

• Türkiye
• Greece
• Disaster diplomacy
• Dialogue
• Cooperation

ANLIK ORTAKLAR: 2023’TE TÜRK-YUNAN FELAKET DİPLOMASİSİNİN SINIRLARI

Abstract

Ege ve Doğu Akdeniz’deki önemli gerilimlerin Türk-Yunan ilişkilerine damgasını vurduğu bir dönemde, Şubat 2023’te, Türkiye’nin güneyinde büyük depremler meydana geldi. Büyük depremlerden birkaç hafta sonra, Yunanistan’ın Tempe kentinde bir trenin devrilmesi sonucunda ise onlarca sivil hayatını kaybetti. Yunanistan, depremlerin ardından Türkiye’ye yardım eden ilk ülkeler arasında yer aldı. Türkiye de, büyük tren kazası nedeniyle Yunanistan’a başsağlığı dileyerek Atina’nın jestine karşılık verdi. Böylece, iki ülke arasında ilk afet diplomasisi dalgasını tetikleyen 1999 Yunanistan ve Türkiye depremlerinden 24 yıl sonra, 2023’te yeni bir diyalog ve iş birliği fırsatı ortaya çıkmış oldu. 1999 ve 2023’teki iki farklı Türk-Yunan afet diplomasisi dalgasını incelemeyi amaçlayan bu makale, bu süreçlerin afet diplomasisi teorisine uygunluklarını tespit etmeyi amaçlıyor. Ayrıca, iki dalgayı karşılaştırmayı ve benzerlik ve farklılıklara işaret etmeyi hedefliyor. Dahası, makale, felâketin kendisinin yeni diplomatik girişimlere yol açmadığı tezini desteklemeyi amaçlıyor. İki afet diplomasisi dalgasından sonra Türk-Yunan ilişkilerinde görüldüğü üzere, afet diplomasisi taktiksel bir diplomatik hamleden daha fazlasına dönüşmezse ve ülkeler afetlerin sunduğu kısa fırsat penceresini enstrümantalize etmekte acele etmezlerse, biriken sorunların bir kez daha uzun süreli bir iş birliği kurma girişimlerini gölgelemesi beklenebilir.

Keywords

• Türkiye
• Yunanistan
• Afet diplomasisi
• Diyalog
• İş birliği

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