Two tiny Greek islands now have important military role in curbing Turkish naval aggression

SManalysis

The threat that Albania continues to pose to Himara and the Greeks throughout the Ionian Sea, backed by Turkey, has increased the commitment of a rapid reaction naval base on the island of Othonus, a new strategy of Greek national interests, which it did not happen even during the Cold War.

by PAUL ANTONOPOULOS

GCT

For the first time there will be a military presence on two tiny Greek islands that previously had no military role.

The islands of Gavdos and Othonoi are being fortified with military outposts due to the escalation of Turkish provocation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Ta Nea reported.

According to the report, the Greek Army established an outpost in Gavdos in the summer, gaining a permanent military presence for the first time in one of the most southerly and isolated points of Greece.

Gavdos has a 9-person outpost that was set up in just one week after an order from Lieutenant General Charalambos Lalousis, mediator of the first Greek-Turkish crisis.

The Gavdos outpost aims to increase the operational capability of the armed forces at a time when Turkish provocations are constantly escalating.

The outpost in the southernmost part of Greece will be equipped with radar that will be able to control the area at a depth of 30 kilometers. In this way, the Armed Forces gain a significant advantage in terms of surveillance of the region, at a time when Turkey has announced reconnaissance to the south of Crete.

Othonoi Corfu Greece Albania Italy Greek

Othonooi to the northwest of Corfu island and west of Northern Epirus in Albania.

Meanwhile, work on the military outpost in Othonoi has already begun.

The project is aimed at increasing Greek sovereignty following the expansion of territorial waters to 12 miles in the Ionian Sea.

Ankara’s initiatives to pressurize Greece are observed with interest in neighboring Albania, for example, the Turkish use of a pier in the port of Avlona (Αυλώνα, Albanian: Vlorë) for the Turkish navy.

The military outpost in Othonoi can observe Turkish actions if they decide to open a new naval front against Greece outside of the Aegean and to the waters surrounding Crete, especially as Greece is in the process of expanding its maritime territory from 6 nautical miles to 12.

According to Ta Nea, the goal of the new military outposts is for Greece to have a strong military presence in key and strategic parts of the country.