Greek-Turkish negotiations barely managed to resume and Ankara already gave the first indications dispelling any naïveté that it intends to rejoin the West and embrace a spirit of reconciliation. The haughty fiestas in occupied Cyprus over the anniversary of the Turkish invasion and the continuing encroachment into Famagusta serve as an annual reminder of the harsh and tragic reality. Moreover, Turkey’s petty mind games regarding the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the historic Panagia Soumela Monastery in Trapezounda reinforces the fact that it is unwilling to act rationally even in matters where there is nothing to lose; but on the contrary, much to gain. In other words, even a win-win scenario, which is theoretically ideal in conflict resolution, is unpleasant for Turkey, which apparently desires nothing less than a win-lose scenario, where it is the only one gaining something at the expense of the other party.

Panagia Soumela is an Orthodox Christian landmark, as well as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 2010, when Ankara first allowed holy services to be celebrated at the monastery on its feast day, it attracts thousands of pilgrims annually, whose presence inherently supports local tourism. Likewise, this gesture improved autocratic Turkey’s tarnished image regarding religious freedom, providing it with a valuable public relations weapon.

In spite of this, Ankara – at least initially – thought it better to deny the request for the celebration of holy services at Panagia Soumela this year, likely due to the absence of a quid pro quo. Although the Turkish Government eventually reconsidered and granted permission, all the drama associated with this routine request is indicative of Turkey’s mentality. This raises the question: What does Athens think it can gain by negotiating with President Erdogan? Considering that Ankara makes no secret of its intentions even when it comes to win-win ‘formalities’, what should we expect when thorny issues will arise at the negotiating table? Does anyone really think that there is even the remotest possibility that Turkey will opt to compromise and abandon its maximalist positions? The answer is a resounding no, which is why the Greek Prime Minister should be very careful about getting ahead of himself and signaling compromises!

However, even if Turkey was not so irascible regarding ‘formalities’ like the use of Panagia Soumela, one needs to look no further than the occupation of Cyprus – approaching its 50^th year – to understand Ankara’s true agenda; and this should leave the EU, NATO, and the entire civilized world ashamed. So long as Turkish soldiers are occupying the island, what possible Greek-Turkish rapprochement can occur? Even today, nearly five decades later, mass graves of victims brutally murdered by Turkish soldiers are being discovered, victims of rape and other degrading and barbaric actions are still alive to recount and put the lie to Turkey’s notion of ‘peaceful coexistence’ and collaboration, while the property of Greek Cypriots that was stolen by the invaders – including our churches, which were turned into barns and God know what else – are still standing and serve as tangible examples of how much Greece’s interlocutor respects the culture of others.

Even if someone wanted to separate the Cyprus issue from the Greek-Turkish agenda, arguing that it is a foreign state (as has unfortunately been the case in Greek diplomacy of late), the fact that Turkey is illegally occupying part of an EU member-state should be more than enough for a Pan-European wall of solidarity to be raised in support of the Cypriot people, making plain to Turkey that so long as it occupies sovereign European territory it should forget any chance of improving European-Turkish relations. The absence of such a response is an indictment against the diplomatic strategy of Athens and Brussels. As Michael Rubin argues, a simple denial of visas for any traveler entering Europe via occupied Cyprus or sanctions against Turkish Airlines would suffice to exercise tremendous pressure against Ankara. Especially now that new evidence of its role in sponsoring terrorism is coming out.

The ongoing occupation of Cyprus reveals the hypocrisy of institutions like NATO and the EU, which turn the world upside down for Ukraine, but overlook the invasion and ongoing occupation of Cyprus.

While negotiations might be a diplomatic necessity, Athens must ensure that the agenda does not contain traps set by Ankara. It also needs to emphasize toward every direction and with every opportunity that so long as Cyprus remains illegally occupied by Turkey, the ground for true Greek-Turkish rapprochement remains flimsy. Considering that flimsy things can be dangerous, all those envisioning risky diplomatic pirouettes that are dangerous for nations should be careful, because there’s always the distinct possibility that the foundations will come apart and they will fall in. Moreover, we, too, must be careful that they don’t drag us down into the pit along with them.

Follow me on Twitter @CTripoulas