The dispute over Greenland has threatened a rift between two Nato members – the United States and Denmark – over ownership of an island. A similar, long-standing dispute between two other Nato members, Greece and Turkey, involves ownership of not one island, but many, and the entire seascape in the eastern Mediterranean, known as the Aegean. As the “sharp end” of Europe vis-a-vis the Middle East, Greece is comparable perhaps to the Greenland-Denmark axis at Europe’s other end. Greece, like many Balkan countries (including its neighbours Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria), emerged from the dominance of the Ottoman Empire. A recent spat between the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey underlined the fragility of border territory, especially in the marine dimension.

Source: The Irish Times February 17, 2026 22:37 UTC