President Erdogan of Turkey has sent a seismic vessel into Mediterranean waters recently claimed by both Turkey and Greece after recent maritime agreements (Turkey with Libya, Greece with Egypt).
President Erdogan of Turkey has sent a seismic vessel into Mediterranean waters recently claimed by both Turkey and Greece after recent maritime agreements (Turkey with Libya, Greece with Egypt). The Turkish navy accompanied the seismic vessel Oruc Reis, which was surveying the waters between Crete and Greece until 23 August.
The Times in London reported last month that amid rising tensions with its Mediterranean neighbours, Erdogan accused Turkey’s neighbours of ‘banditry’ and vowed to continue undersea gas explorations despite mounting pressure from the European Union.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has urged ‘immediate de-escalation’ after Turkey extended the mission of its drill ship Yavuz, which is stationed southwest of Cyprus, until mid-September.
Erdogen said: ‘We will never bow down to banditry on our continental shelf. We will not back down to the language of sanctions and threats,’ he told a meeting of his AK Party in his home province of Rize, on the Black Sea. ‘The Oruc Reis will continue its activities. In this period, we will not hesitate to respond to the slightest harassment of our ship.’
Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel have signed a series of bilateral agreements carving up the eastern Mediterranean between them, and the EU backed Cyprus and Greece after Turkey carried out hydrocarbon explorations in the contested waters. A bilateral maritime agreement signed between Turkey and Libya in November has not been recognised by any other Mediterranean states.
Erdogan said that Turkey was willing to reach a resolution with Greece over the two countries’ overlapping maritime claims. ‘If we act with common sense and reason, we can find a win-win solution that meets everyone’s interests,’ Erdogan said. ‘We are not chasing any unnecessary adventures or seeking tensions.’
