Turkey sent the ship "Aruj Reis" to conduct a seismic survey in order to explore for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, and said that its naval forces were accompanying the ship to provide the necessary protection, in light of escalating tension in the region.

The ship set off on its mission yesterday, Monday, after Egypt and Greece signed an agreement last Thursday to define the exclusive economic zone between the two countries in the eastern Mediterranean, which was considered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a setback by Greece from its promises in this file, and the Turkish Foreign Ministry described it as a "piracy agreement." .

The ship was scheduled to carry out its mission last month, but Erdogan decided to suspend the mission and open the door to negotiations with Athens, based on the mediation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmaz said on Twitter that the ship "Aruj Reis" has already arrived at the place where it will do its work in the Mediterranean, coming from its dock off Antalya.

According to a maritime notification issued by the Turkish Navy on the "Naftex" system, the ship will search from 10 to 23 August in an area located south of Turkish Antalya, western Cyprus and near the island of Crete in southern Greece.

Military escort

The Turkish Defense Ministry said in a tweet on Twitter yesterday, Monday, that "the Turkish navy is accompanying the research vessel during its seismic survey, and providing it with the necessary protection."

The ministry added that Turkish forces have taken all necessary measures, and are determined to protect Turkey's rights and interests in its maritime areas of influence.

For its part, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a map of the area in which the ship is carrying out seismic survey work.

The Director-General for bilateral political, naval, air and border affairs of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Cektay Erciyes, said on Twitter that the ship was carrying out its work "within the limits of Turkish maritime authority that Ankara informed the United Nations in advance."

He added that Greece caused "an empty noise by claiming that the area in which the ship operates belongs to it."

1. Türkiye'nin Doğu Akdeniz'deki deniz yetki alanlarında sismik araştırma faaliyetine başlayan MTA ORUÇ REİS araştırma gemisine Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri tarafından refakat ve koruma sağtadlan. pic.twitter.com/y58Fcv1d4i

- TC Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 10, 2020

Greece condemns and prepares

For its part, Greece accused Ankara of threatening peace in the eastern Mediterranean after announcing the dispatch of the exploration ship.

The Greek Foreign Ministry said at the conclusion of an emergency meeting of the Defense Affairs Council chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that Ankara's decision to send the ship "Aruj Reis" constitutes "a dangerous new escalation" and "proves Turkey's destabilizing role."

The Greek government declared that "the bulk of its fleet is ready to be deployed when necessary."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded by saying, "We will not allow any military intervention against any of our civilian ships."

She emphasized that the Turkish military presence in the region does not aim to escalate tension, but rather is only for defensive purposes.

The ministry's spokesman, Hami Aksoy, said that the ship "operates within the continental shelf area that Ankara informed the United Nations about and within the areas of the license granted by the government to the Turkish Petroleum Company in 2012."

Aksoy pointed out that Turkey's "goodwill gesture" to suspend the ship's mission previously, at the request of Germany and the European Union, in order to give diplomacy a chance and revive the channels of dialogue, "did not receive an answer."

He added that the "piracy agreement" that Greece signed with Egypt on August 6 to demarcate the maritime borders proved Athena's lack of sincerity regarding the dialogue.

On the other hand, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter, "Today I discussed with the Greek Prime Minister the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, this situation must be settled in a spirit of solidarity between allies and within the framework of international laws."

Erdogan's demands

Earlier on Monday, Erdogan declared his "readiness to settle differences in the Mediterranean through fair dialogue." And he said, "Let all Mediterranean countries come together to find a formula that protects the rights of every country." For the mind. "

The discovery of huge gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean in recent years has strengthened the ambitions of several parties, such as Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Israel.