Three ways to resolve Greek-Turkish differences

There are only three ways that our differences with Turkey can be resolved: With a bilateral negotiation and agreement, through the arbitration of an international court or in a military conflict. There is no other way. Each of these three scenarios involves very high risks, both political and national. An international court will not rule exclusively in favor of Greece, not because the country is not right in its arguments, but because it will seek to strike a compromise, as these courts always do.

The bilateral negotiation is unlikely to reach an agreement if Ankara insists from the start on issues such as "ownership," that is, if it insists on challenging Greek sovereignty over islands and islets, an issue it decided to put on the table only after the 1996 Imia crisis. The same applies if Turkey insists on the demilitarization of the Greek islands.

But even going...