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Of: TT
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Photo: Vadim Ghirda / AP / TT
A Turkish frigate during an exercise in the Black Sea in 2015.
With major political tensions escalating in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey announces that it will carry out military exercises in northwestern Cyprus over the next two weeks.
In the eastern Mediterranean, a race is underway to access newly discovered gas fields. Rival territorial claims between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey have become intertwined with old and new conflicts, creating a geopolitical front line, which risks creating even more regional headaches.
In early August, Turkey sent a reconnaissance ship to the disputed area.
On Friday evening, a few hours after the EU announced preparations for new sanctions against Turkey in addition to those already imposed due to test drilling, Ankara issued a statement calling for military exercises to be held in northwestern Cyprus from Saturday until September 11.
The EU has expressed its solidarity with the governments of Athens and Nicosia. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told TT on Friday that Turkey’s test drilling outside of Cyprus is “contrary to international law.”
Many analysts have judged the situation in the area to be increasingly dangerous. Germany has offered to mediate.
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