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S E C R E T ANKARA 000890 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2039 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR TU GR
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RAISES AEGEAN ISSUES WITH FM DAVUTOGLU 
 
REF: A. STATE 61209 
     ¶B. ANKARA 855 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Jeffrey, Reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
¶1. (S)  Ambassador raised the Aegean demarche (ref a) with 
FONMIN Davutoglu late June 23, noting specifically the need 
to end the overflights of Agathonisi and Farmakonisi, and the 
commitment made in writing to maintain promises GEN Craddock 
gave TGS.  Davutoglu pushed back initially, arguing that the 
sovereignty of these "rocks" were in question "like Kardak" 
(referring to the infamous 1996 Aegean incident) and the 
Greeks were cherry-picking specific issues to spin the U.S. 
up rather than dealing with the whole Aegean complex in a 
comprehensive manner.  Ambassador said regardless of Greek 
tactics, he doubted the sovereignty argument of the Turks: 
the islands were inhabited, and making arguments about 
sovereignty by overflights of fighter aircraft at low 
altitude was not proper.  Davutoglu argued that Greeks 
overfly Turkey more than Turks do Greece.  Even so, the 
Ambassador retorted, the Greeks do not couple their 
overflights, deliberate or not, with claims of sovereignty 
over Turkish territory.  At that point, Davutoglu changed his 
demeanor and said that, frankly, he had ordered and was 
waiting for a review of all overflights by Turkish aircraft 
in the Aegean. 
 
¶2. (S) Davutoglu then launched into an extended critique of 
his relations with Greek FONMIN Dora Bakioyannis, saying he 
liked her a great deal but that she both went after 
individual complaints (see above) rather than targeting 
comprehensive solutions, and would not take bold steps.  He 
had suggested that he travel to the Republic of Cyprus and 
she to northern Cyprus to jointly declare that Greece and 
Turkey were 100 percent behind a solution.  She (not 
unexpectedly) turned him down.  He then described at length 
talks he had had with her on the Patriarchate and Halki. 
When he pointed out that the Turks had allowed the Synod of 
the Patriarchate a few years ago to include three non-Turkish 
citizens, "despite the Lausanne Treaty", she had replied that 
the assumption in Greece was that the Turks were not aware of 
the three,s presence. 
 
¶3. (S) Comment:  We need to keep pressing the Turks on the 
overflights, while maintaining our parallel approach with the 
Greeks to avoid provoking the Turks in the first place and 
seek more comprehensive negotiations and solutions.  That 
latter sells well with the Turks and allows us to at least 
make the points about the overflights without a big fight. 
End Comment. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey 
 
JEFFREY