Are Greece and Turkey going back to the future?

Following the Greek Supreme Court’s refusal to grant the Turkish government’s request for the extradition of suspected Gulenist officers who allegedly took part in the failed coup attempt of July 15-16, 2016, and Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar’s visit to the disputed Kardak islets in the Aegean Sea Jan. 29, old tensions between Athens and Ankara resurfaced.

In the wake of Akar’s visit to Kardak (known as “Imia” in Greek), which came on the anniversary of a crisis between Turkey and Greece that brought the two countries to the brink of war in 1996, the military forces of the two countries initiated naval and aerial patrols around the mini-islands. On Feb. 1, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported that a “boat fight” had taken place around Kardak the previous day, claiming that a Turkish fast attack craft chased away a smaller Greek boat. Hurriyet also reported that a Turkish coast guard aircraft flew over the area Feb. 1.

The Greek side, too, wants to show strength. In the wee hours of Feb. 1, Greek Minister of National Defense Panos Kammenos shared pictures on his Twitter account of a helicopter pass he participated in over Kardak, during which he threw a wreath in the sea to honor fallen Greek troops.