Turkey stance comes as no surprise

The resumption of Turkey's challenging Greek sovereignty over some islands in the east Aegean with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's proposal that all differences between the two countries, including those which dispute Greece's rights, are referred to the international court at The Hague came as no surprise to anyone following developments in the last few months.

In fact, several experienced diplomats had estimated that while on the election campaign trail, the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would seek to remind everyone that the shift to a more positive attitude to Greece reflects circumstances, and not a strategic shift in Turkish foreign policy in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

In short, it would not be possible for the Erdogan government to cede Greek-Turkish affairs to the nationalist opposition.

Indeed, the combination of...