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In the eastern Mediterranean, the risk of a military conflict is increasing. Turkey now openly threatens Greece with war if its territorial waters expand into the Aegean Sea. “If that’s not a reason for war, what else?” Said Vice President Fuat Oktay of the state news agency Anadolu. Ankara will defend its rights at sea regardless of all costs.
Athens immediately criticized the Turkish threat. It is against “international political culture” to threaten neighbors with war.
Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced in parliament on Wednesday that Greece was expanding its sovereign territory in the Ionian Sea from six to twelve nautical miles. In maritime areas where other countries are more than 24 nautical miles apart, this could possibly also happen.
The Ionian Sea faces Italy. Mitsotakis did not indicate that he wanted to expand the Greek sovereign zone in the Aegean. There are several Greek islands a few kilometers off the Turkish coast. Until now, Greek governments had refrained from expanding territorial waters in the Ionian Sea, not least because then they would have to justify why this was not happening in the Aegean.
In Athens, people are aware of the explosive nature of the issue and the possible consequences. “At this time, Greece will definitely not expand its territorial waters in the Aegean,” SPIEGEL learned from Greek diplomatic circles.
Dispute over gas and influence
Gas has been discovered in the eastern Mediterranean for the past ten years. The dispute between Turkey and Greece has reached a critical point for weeks, not least because Turkey sent a reconnaissance ship to the area. The mission was recently extended until early September.
The Turkish gas hunt takes place in an area that Greece claims for itself. However, Ankara maintains that the area belongs to the Turkish continental shelf, even if it is close to the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kastelorizo.
Interest in gas is just one of several reasons for the hostilities. In any case, the price of gas has fallen drastically, exploitation would be expensive and possibly not profitable.
The conflict is also about spheres of influence and land rights in an area that has long been controversial. In the 1990s, Greece and Turkey were on the brink of war over two uninhabited Aegean islands. Now the armed forces of NATO partners are once again conducting exercises in the region. France, in particular, participated in the Greek exercises and the United States Navy in the Turkish exercises.
On Friday, Turkey said it had intercepted six Greek F-16 fighter jets off eastern Cyprus. On Saturday, Ankara also announced new target practice in the eastern Mediterranean off the southern coast of Turkey.
EU foreign ministers asked Ankara on Friday for a final dialogue with Greece. Otherwise, the special EU summit on September 24 could discuss further punitive measures against Turkey.
