{"id":1166,"date":"2026-06-04T15:52:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/?p=1166"},"modified":"2026-06-05T20:38:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:38:05","slug":"20260604","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/2026\/06\/04\/20260604\/","title":{"rendered":"The Turkish Exercise &#8220;Efes-2026&#8221; and the &#8220;Calm Waters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"> A Provocation or an Excuse for New Tensions?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2026.06.04<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/2026\/06\/04\/20260604-gr\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/2026\/06\/04\/20260604-gr\/\">Greek Version<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a report by the SKAI television network (June 4), the Turkish newspaper <em>Cumhuriyet<\/em> published a commentary claiming that Greece &#8220;exploited&#8221; the agreement between the Greek Prime Minister and President Erdogan\u2014which had secured a climate of so-called &#8220;calm waters&#8221; in the Aegean in recent years\u2014solely for the purpose of its military buildup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is evident that the <em>Cumhuriyet<\/em> publication operates on two axes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Domestic consumption:<\/strong> It implicitly accuses President Erdogan of leniency or inaction toward Athens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Creating pretexts:<\/strong> It attempts to manufacture an alibi for the recent violations of Greek airspace by armed Turkish fighter jets.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Paradox of Turkish Demands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ankara seems to be driven by a provocative mindset: it maintains the &#8220;Aegean Army&#8221; directly opposite the Greek islands, possesses a massive landing fleet, conducts blatant territory-seizure exercises, and maintains a direct threat of war (<em>Casus Belli<\/em>). At the same time, however, it demands that Greece remain passive, refusing to react or bolster its defensive capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">The Anatomy of Exercise &#8220;Efes-2026&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IlOX-mVQgBN-1.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IlOX-mVQgBN-1.webp 900w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IlOX-mVQgBN-1-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IlOX-mVQgBN-1-768x433.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/m5a.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/m5a.webp 900w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/m5a-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/m5a-768x433.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/lkqkCiQ.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/lkqkCiQ.webp 900w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/lkqkCiQ-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/lkqkCiQ-768x433.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Official descriptions and data from the conduct of the major Turkish exercise <strong>&#8220;Efes-2026&#8221;<\/strong> prove the offensive orientation of the Turkish armed forces. The scenario of the exercise included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Infiltration<\/strong> of special forces (SAT\/SAS) during the initial phase.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seizure<\/strong> of a beachhead and the disembarkation of marines using modern landing craft.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Support<\/strong> of operations by warships and heavy artillery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Airborne assault<\/strong> of forces using helicopters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deployment of tanks<\/strong> and armored vehicles immediately after securing the coast.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Combined land, sea, and air operations<\/strong> in a high-intensity environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The controversial point:<\/strong> In official posts and videos from the Turkish presidency, footage was released showing commandos raising the Turkish flag on a newly captured island target\u2014an image that provoked strong reactions and concern in Athens.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/KSdva_btLPUFD2.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/KSdva_btLPUFD2.webp 900w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/KSdva_btLPUFD2-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/KSdva_btLPUFD2-768x433.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Clear Message to Greece<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The exercise was conducted in the Aegean, a breath away from the Greek islands. The very structure of the scenario (amphibious seizure of an island target) perfectly simulates the operations that would be required in an island warfare environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Greek analysts and media outlets also pointed out that the visual material presented geographical simulations allegedly related to the island of <strong>Lemnos<\/strong>, reinforcing assessments that the recipient of this message of force was, once again, Greece.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"916\" height=\"39\" src=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Line-01.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Line-01.png 916w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Line-01-300x13.png 300w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Line-01-768x33.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 916px) 100vw, 916px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"777\" height=\"932\" src=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/site-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1155\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.8337070493518697;width:179px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/site-2.png 777w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/site-2-250x300.png 250w, https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/site-2-768x921.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The knowledge of yesterday guides today and points the way for tomorrow. Those who understand the <strong>historical and contemporary course of events<\/strong>, define their own future.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> The recent Turkish military exercise &#8220;Efes-2026&#8221; and reports from the Turkish press, such as Cumhuriyet newspaper, are shifting the tides in Greek-Turkish relations, challenging the short-lived climate of &#8220;calm waters&#8221; in the Aegean. While Ankara accuses Athens of a military buildup, provocative amphibious landing drills opposite the Greek islands and ongoing airspace violations highlight Greece&#8217;s steady need for defensive reinforcement against Turkish revisionism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/template-full-width.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[74,213,26],"tags":[163,164,162,166,154,167,165,168],"class_list":["post-1166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-en01","category-tourks","tag-aegean","tag-airspace-violations","tag-calm-waters","tag-defensive-reinforcement","tag-efes-2026","tag-greek-islands","tag-greek-turkish-relations-2","tag-lemnos"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f9651f76-0ee9-4698-bddc-82a81862ff4b.jpg","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1166"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1220,"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions\/1220"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/memniso.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}