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Turkey announced that the exploration vessel Oruç Reis It will remain in the Eastern Mediterranean until September 12. Greece says the ship is illegally in waters located on its continental shelf, where it has exclusive rights to existing oil and gas reserves.
The delay in the return date of the Turkish ship, which should have completed its mission this Tuesday, was another contribution to the increase in tension when the two countries exchanged criticism for the military exercises they were carrying out near Cyprus. Turkey said it hampered the Greek fighter jets and the Greek Air Force showed videos of the six F16s flying between Cyprus and Crete and stated that it had an ambush ready in the event of a Turkish interception.
While keeping the ship in the disputed area, Turkey called for dialogue. Chancellor Mevlut Cavusoglu, however, accused Greece of “provocation” with the support of the European Union (Brussels threatened to impose sanctions on Turkish officials).
Turkey’s preference, Cavusolglu said Tuesday at a press conference with his Armenian counterpart, is “a just solution that involves negotiating with all parts of the Eastern Mediterranean for a just division. [dos recursos]”He stated, quoted by Reuters.
In recent weeks, Greece and Turkey, two NATO allies, have been involved in a series of rhetorical exchanges and actions closer to conflict than ever since 1996, when Turkey placed its flag on a Greek island in the Aegean.
The two countries say they are entitled to any hydrocarbon resources that can be discovered at the site, arguing that they are on their respective continental shelves, in an area where the islands are mostly Greek.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan said Ankara will not be “cornered” in a small area near its coast.
Meanwhile, Greece has announced that it intends to exercise the right to expand its territorial waters, an action that does not affect the areas at the center of the dispute, but is a turning point in decades of “passive” foreign policy. from Athens.
The concern about the possibility of an escalation is great. From the European Union, France sent a frigate and Rafale fighters to the area two weeks ago.
The journalist John T. Psaropoulos, who lives in Athens, considers it unlikely that Turkey would prefer a military option rather than a last resort (diplomatic isolation and the consequences of sanctions would be disastrous, he anticipates). Psaropoulos sees these actions as a means to get Greece and Cyprus to accept areas of joint exploitation with Turkey or to renounce part of what would be their part if only established international legal standards are observed, he says.
