ANKARA – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that any attack on a Turkish ship investigating oil and gas in disputed Mediterranean waters would have a “high price” and would suggest that Turkey had already acted on that warning.
Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean have risen sharply this week after Turkey sent a patrol boat to the region, escorted by warships, in a move that dismissed Greece as illegal.
“We said that if you attack our Oruc Journey, you will pay a high price, and they received their first response today,” Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara without giving details.
The Oruc Journey set out on Monday with its military escort to explore waters between Crete and Cyprus.
In response, President Emmanuel Macron said France would increase its military presence in the region and called on Ankara to halt its reconnaissance work. French and Greek armies held military training exercises outside Crete on Thursday.
European Union foreign ministers, who have already imposed sanctions on two Turkish energy officials over Turkey’s operations in the eastern Mediterranean, will discuss the situation on Friday.
Greece’s foreign ministry said Minister Nikos Dendias would inform EU colleagues “about the real facts of the last days regarding operations in the region” at the emergency meeting.
Erdogan spoke by telephone on Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Council President Charles Michel. He “reiterated his commitment to defend Turkey’s rights against attempts to disregard them,” Erdogan’s office said of the call with Michel.
Both Turkey and Greece said this week that they were ready to resolve the dispute over their overlapping maritime offerings, but promised to protect their interests and owe the other side for the stand-off.
“If we act with common sense and common sense, we can find a win-win solution that meets everyone’s interests,” Erdogan said earlier on Thursday. “We do not pursue unnecessary adventures or seek excitement.”
In apparent reference to France, Erdogan also said that Greece was being driven to take “wrong steps” in the region by “a country that does not even have a coastline in the eastern Mediterranean.”
