France announced the deployment of temporary forces and conducting military maneuvers with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, against the backdrop of escalating tension between Greece and Turkey, at a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for dialogue to resolve the eastern Mediterranean crisis, warning against ignoring the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots in the region.
The French Ministry of the Armies stated that it had temporarily deployed two Rafale fighters and two military ships in the eastern Mediterranean, against the backdrop of the escalating tension between Greece and Turkey due to the dispute over gas exploration.
Tensions have escalated between Athens and Ankara, two members of NATO, over the past few days, due to disputes over sovereignty over oil and gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces stated that this military presence aims at an independent assessment of the situation, and confirms France's link to freedom of movement, security of navigation in the Mediterranean, and respect for international law.
On the other hand, Greek military sources said that this frigate and two planes arrived in Crete earlier today, Thursday, and carried out joint maneuvers with Greek forces.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the temporary strengthening of his country's military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, and called on Turkey and Greece to dialogue in order to calm the situation.
Macron confirmed - in a tweet after a call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis - that the situation in the eastern Mediterranean is cause for concern, and that the unilateral Turkish exploration work raises tensions, he said.
J'ai décidé de renforcer temporairement la présence militaire française en Méditerranée orientale dans les prochains jours, en coopération avec les partenaires européens dont la Grèce.
- Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 12, 2020
In the same context, defense sources said that the French army held exercises with Greek forces off the southern island of Crete on Thursday.
Turkey's rights
On the other hand, the Turkish president said that his country does not seek unnecessary adventures, and does not have any ambitions in the right of anyone, stressing at the same time that it will not allow any country to violate its rights.
Erdogan added - during a speech he delivered at a meeting with the heads of his party's branches - that Turkey's moves in the eastern Mediterranean were carried out in accordance with the legitimacy and agreements it signed with Libya.
The Turkish president also announced that he would hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Charles Michel to ease tension in the eastern Mediterranean.
He considered that the one who raised the tension in the region was the mentality followed by Greece and the Greek Cypriots, which ignored the rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, as he put it, stressing that it is possible to reach an equation that preserves the rights of everyone on the basis of mutual profit.
Erdogan explained that Greece's position in the Mediterranean and Aegean Bahrain is based on bad faith, stressing that its claim to the continental shelf based on the island of "Meis" cannot be explained with reason and logic.
"The claim that a Greek island, an area of 10 km2, has the right to a continental shelf of an area of 40,000 km2 is laughable and has no basis in international law," he said, stressing his country's adherence to its water rights and interests in the Mediterranean.
Greek warnings
The Greek Prime Minister warned yesterday, Wednesday, 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 means Ankara's relationship with all European Union countries.
On the other hand, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country prefers to solve its problems in the eastern Mediterranean with Greece through dialogue.
Akar considered that the agreement signed between Egypt and Greece has no legal basis and neglects the rights of the Egyptian people, he said.
Turkey and Greece, both members of NATO, differ strongly over the overlapping of their claims to sovereignty over hydrocarbon resources in the region, and the escalation of tension since Ankara began exploration 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.
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.
Adım adım Akdeniz. 🇹🇷
Oruç Reis denizlerimizin röntgenini çekiyor. 🚢🔎
23 Ağustos'a kadar toplam 1.750 kilometre 2 boyutlu sismik araştırma için streamer (sismik kablo) Akdeniz'e indi.
Yolunuz açık, enerjiniz yüksek olsun.🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/Kpp2FP69fN
- Fatih Dönmez (@fatih_donmez) August 12, 2020
He added that the ship will survey the eastern Mediterranean region within an area of 1750 square kilometers until the 23rd of this month.
For his part, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that he would call a video conference of European foreign ministers next Friday, to discuss urgent issues, such as the eastern Mediterranean situation.
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.