The violent failed coup in Turkey has completely changed the circumstances in the neighboring country.

The response of President Tayyip Erdogan, the purge of so-called coup supporters from the Army, public administration, judicial system, education and universities paints a divided country, a country that is split and heading down a dangerous path.

Moderate estimations suggest that 50,000 people are facing some form of persecution in the neighboring country.

If anything this creates an atmosphere of fear and generalized insecurity among broad sections of the people.

The common belief if that in his attempt to control the situation, President Erdogan is quickly turning Turkey into an authoritarian state, by excluding large sections of the people who defended the secularity of the state and looked towards European integration.

There is no shortage of people who believe that Turkey is being Islamicized, which will have consequences for the country itself and the broader region.

Europeans and Americans estimate that Turkey is losing and will be lost; that a geopolitical black hole is emerging on the shores of Asia that will affect all of its neighbors, starting with Greece.

Nothing can now guarantee what will happen next and security in the broader region. More so if the conditions become worse in Turkey and the possible proliferation of Islamist messages cause new waves of migration and release of forces against any infidels.

It is clear that our government was caught off guard by the developments and the worst is that it has not adapted accordingly. It believed in Erdogan and his abilities and quickly aligned itself with him, suggesting that it is prepared to satisfy all of his demands.

The developments however refute and expose it, as the frustration increases in Turkey.

Promises may have been offered for the “8” in Alexandroupoli, but the extradition decision is no easy task. More so when hundreds of fugitives are trying to find shelter in our country, to escape the pogrom and fury of Erdogan.

The situation from now on requires second and third thoughts.

If Greece stands up for human rights it will be praised on an international level and will have the opportunity to confirm its position as an island of Democracy and stability in the most troubled zone on the planet.

TO VIMA