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Stock photo of two Turkish warships
Turkey announced that it decided to conduct military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean for the next two weeks.
Ankara informed the sailors that it would carry out artillery bombardment exercises from Saturday in the northwestern region of Cyprus.
The move comes amid tensions between Turkey and the two neighboring countries, Greece and Cyprus, over their respective maritime borders and gas exploration rights.
Turkey is looking for gas in waters that Greece and Cyprus consider theirs.
On Friday, the European Union said it was preparing sanctions against Turkey, prompting an angry response from Turkish Vice President Fuat Aktay.
Following a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Turkey of the consequences of continuing what he described as “aggressive actions” in the eastern Mediterranean.
And the Turkish Foreign Ministry considered that the position of the European Union was unfounded.
Turkey insists it is exploring energy sources within its continental shelf and rejects Greece’s claims for maritime rights in the region.
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Turkish exploration efforts are challenging a deal between Greece and Egypt
A few days ago, the Turkish Defense Minister confirmed in statements to journalists in Ankara that his country “has no ambitions in the lands or seas of its neighbors, and is open to dialogue to solve pending problems, but will not allow anyone to violate a single drop of its waters “.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held Greece responsible for any tension in the region, adding that his country will not back down.
Although both Turkey and Greece are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), they have a history of historic disputes.
Countries compete for energy sources in the Mediterranean.
During the past few years, huge gas reserves were discovered off the coast of Cyprus, prompting the Cypriot government, Greece, Israel and Egypt to cooperate to make the most of these resources.
And in early August, Turkey sent a seismic research ship into the disputed area, in a move that prompted Greece to raise its alert.
The shipment of this ship by Turkey was a challenge to the agreement between Greece and Egypt concluded to create an exclusive economic zone in waters containing oil and gas reserves.
This agreement contradicts another competing agreement to establish an exclusive economic zone that Turkey and the internationally recognized government in Libya seek to conclude.
And it entered the front line between Turkey and Greece, NATO, the European Union, Israel, Egypt and the United States. The role of each capital was characterized by the nature of its position on the differences between the two countries.
