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ANKARA, KOMPAS.com – Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean remain very high lately.
More recently, Turkey claims to have discovered energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea area.
Although Greece claims the area as its own continental shelf, as reported by Euronews, Monday (7/9/2020).
The dispute over drilling rights in the region has prompted a strong response from both sides.
Also read: Turkey deploys military exercises in northern Cyprus amid tensions with Greece
On Saturday (5/9/2020), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a stern warning to Greece in a speech.
“They (Greece) will understand the language of politics and diplomacy, or they will experience something painful on the ground,” Erdogan said during the hospital opening ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey.
But according to experts, Erdogan’s harsh words are intended as domestic propaganda rather than as a veritable ultimatum.
Experts argue that Turkey still wants to negotiate with Greece rather than having to resolve it through battle or war.
Also read: Provoking each other, the Greek-Turkish maritime border of the eastern Mediterranean is far from being agreed
Turkey analyst at GlobalSource Partners Atilla Yesilada said Euronews that Erdogan wants Greece to sit at the negotiating table.
However, he added, most likely Greece will not come to negotiate with Turkey.
“We have been to this point at least a thousand times since the 1974 Cyprus conflict and nothing has changed,” Yesilada said. Euronews.
Also read: Turkey’s expanded exploration project in the eastern Mediterranean, Greece calls it illegal
At the same time, he ruled out that the current dispute could turn into a military conflict in a true sense.
“The tensions will not turn into war and the stalemate will continue with both sides doing what they used to do,” Yesilada continued.
Erdogan is currently reportedly in talks with the European Union.
Also read: Increasingly tense with Greece, Turkey announces military exercises
However, Yesilada believes that only the United States (USA) can negotiate the agreement between Greece and Turkey.
“If Biden is elected in the United States, he could be a successful interlocutor. In the past, when tensions were very high, we saw that the arbitration efforts of the United States were successful to some extent,” added Yesilada.
