France announced its intention to strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean in light of the tension between Ankara and Athens over Turkish oil and gas exploration, while the European Union is discussing the issue on Friday at the request of Athens.
French President Emmanuel Macron said - after contact with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis - that he decided to temporarily strengthen the French presence in the eastern Mediterranean during the coming days.
Macron said - in a tweet on Twitter - that this strengthening will be in cooperation with European partners, including Greece.
Macron said that the situation in the eastern Mediterranean is cause for concern, and that the unilateral Turkish exploration work raises tensions and must be stopped to pave the way for dialogue between neighboring countries and allies in NATO.
Turkey and Greece, both members of NATO, differ strongly over their overlapping claims to sovereignty over hydrocarbon resources in the region, and tension has risen since Ankara began drilling operations in a disputed area in the Mediterranean on Monday.
Greece says that the Turkish drilling vessel "Oruj President" is operating illegally in waters off the Greek continental shelf, an accusation Ankara denies. The ship was accompanied by Turkish warships as it left port.
And Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Turkey wanted to solve the crisis it is experiencing in the eastern Mediterranean with Greece through dialogue.
He added that his country supports the concept of good neighborliness and international law, on the table and in the field.
Akar considered that the agreement signed between Egypt and Greece has no legal basis and neglects the rights of the Egyptian people, he said.
The Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez had posted a video on his Twitter page of the ship "Aruj President" in the eastern Mediterranean, and said that the ship was continuing to conduct a marine survey in Turkey's maritime areas.
He added that the ship will survey the eastern Mediterranean within an area of 1750 square kilometers until the 23rd of this month.
However, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned that the situation in the eastern Mediterranean could slide towards a military accident due to the presence of large military forces in a limited place.
He added that Greece is not alone in this confrontation with Turkey, noting that the matter concerns Turkey's relationship with all European Union countries.
For his part, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that he will call a video conference of European foreign ministers next Friday to discuss urgent issues, such as the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The meeting - which came at the request of Athens - will also discuss the situation in Lebanon after the Beirut bombings last week, and the election results in Belarus.
In the same context, the Greek Foreign Ministry said that Minister Nikos Dendias will meet with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo in Vienna on Friday to discuss tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Last Tuesday, Dendias urged Turkey to "leave the Greek continental shelf immediately," saying that Athens was determined to defend its sovereign rights.