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Istanbul- Data from Refinitiv showed that the Turkish exploration vessel Oroç President returned to waters near the Antalya region of southern Turkey on Sunday, in a move that could ease tension between Ankara and Athens over natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean. .
Observers believe that the Turkish withdrawal from violating Greece’s territorial waters opens the door to a peaceful solution to the crisis, after Ankara hinted at a military solution that was found by a European, especially French, barracks behind Athens. The French position in the face of the Turkish orgy in European waters and the dispatch of an aircraft carrier by Paris to the Mediterranean weakened Turkey’s room for maneuver, which is further ahead militarily and logistically than Greece.
After the French race to Athens, Turkey was forced to dialogue with its neighbors and stop its provocations after taking a confrontational approach for months during which it ignored European verbal warnings.
In addition to European logistical support for Athens and the threat of the bloc countries to impose broader economic sanctions on Ankara, the entry of the United States into the crisis line exacerbated Turkey’s diplomatic isolation.
The US position on the crisis appears in the Mediterranean closer to the Greek-Cypriot-European position, which calls for the cessation of gas exploration operations before starting talks to settle the crisis, which translates into the statements of the Secretary of State American, Mike Pompeo.
Pompeo of Nicosia said on Saturday: “We remain deeply concerned about the exploration operations carried out by Turkey in areas that Greece and Cyprus confirm to be under its authority in the eastern Mediterranean.”
“The growing military tension does not help anyone but the opponents who want to see a division in the unity of the NATO countries,” he added, emphasizing that the regional partnership “is absolutely necessary for lasting energy security.”
The US Secretary of State’s comments came after he signed a defense agreement with Nicosia after the US lifted the ban it had imposed for more than thirty years on the sale of military equipment “not of fights “against Cyprus, which angered Ankara, which saw the move as an American bias towards Cyprus.
Ankara sensed a European firmness that broke with the policy of hesitation adopted by the European Union in addressing Turkish ambitions in various files, such as the Libyan and Syrian files, prompting it, according to observers, to the option of calm, which it was not soon on the table.
Southern European leaders warned on Thursday that they are willing to support European Union sanctions against Turkey if Ankara avoids dialogue, as this issue will be discussed again at the European Union summit on September 24-25, which it will make decisions based on the seriousness of Turkey’s response to the terms of the European calm. On Sunday, a Greek government spokesman, Stelios Petsas, described the Turkish ship’s departure from the region as a “positive step”, while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for more steps from Turkey to resolve the regional dispute.
Mitsotakis added: “The point is that there is continuity, and since there is no escalation of the situation by Turkey, Greece is always ready to come to the table for exploratory talks to discuss the demarcation of maritime zones.”
The continental shelf borders of Turkey and Greece, which are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), overlap and their claims of rights to potential energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean are intertwined.
Tensions rose last month after Ankara dispatched the Oroch President ship to determine prospects for oil and gas exploration in waters disputed by Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.
The Turkish Navy issued a notification this month stating that the Uruç president will continue its operations in the region until September 12, while Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier that the ship would continue its exploration operations for a longer period, but there was no extension of the notice until Sunday.
Ankara has sensed a European firmness that breaks with the policy of hesitation that European countries have adopted in facing up to Turkish ambitions in various files, similar to the Libyan and Syrian files, which led it, according to observers, to opt for calm .
Turkey has repeatedly indicated that it is open to solving problems with Greece through dialogue, but has publicly refused to set preconditions before negotiations, including halting the operations of President de Oroç.
Cavusoglu said during a press conference on Saturday: “If there are those who set preconditions for Turkey, we also have preconditions that must be implemented.” The Turkish Chancellor did not go into details and reiterated that the ideal situation is to start talks without preconditions.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed, during a visit to the Kas district in Antalya, near the Greek island of Kastelorizo, that Turkey supports dialogue and the search for a political solution. “We always do what good neighborly relations demand, and we expect the same from the other side,” he added in statements to the press.
Turkey says its sovereignty claims over the eastern Mediterranean are legitimate. There is no agreement between her and Greece that defines the continental shelf for each of them, and Turkey rejects any sovereign demand for Cyprus, with which it does not have diplomatic relations.
