Turkey announced today, Saturday, that it is conducting new maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean, and stressed that it will not delay in protecting its interests, saying that France and Greece know this.

Turkey indicated that it would hold a military exercise off northwest Cyprus during the next two weeks, amid escalating tension with Greece over disputes over oil and gas exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

In a tweet on Twitter, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said that in addition to the exercises that were conducted 3 times in the eastern Mediterranean with the ships of allied countries in the past 48 hours, joint naval exercises were held with Italy today in the south of the island of Cyprus.

The conflict between Turkey and Greece, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), erupted after the two sides concluded two conflicting agreements regarding their maritime borders with Libya and Egypt.

Tensions rose after Turkey sent a survey ship into the disputed waters this month.

The two sides held military maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean, highlighting the possibility of escalating the dispute over the extension of the continental shelf into an armed confrontation.

Interception and expulsion
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that its air force had intercepted 6 Greek warplanes of F-16 (F-16) and removed them from the Turkish Naftex notification area in the eastern Mediterranean.

The ministry said in a statement that the radar systems of the Turkish Air Force revealed on Thursday that 6 F-16 warplanes had taken off from Crete and headed to the Greek Cyprus Administration.

It confirmed that Turkish F-16 fighters intercepted the planes in the southwest of the island of Cyprus, after they approached an area in which Ankara had previously announced the NAFTEX notification.

She stressed that the Turkish Navy and Air Force continue to work with unlimited determination to protect their rights and interests in the eastern Mediterranean. The Ministry of Defense also attached a video clip to intercept its Greek aircraft fighters and remove them from the region.

And today, Saturday, the Turkish Vice President declared that "we do not hesitate to protect our rights and interests, and most Greece and France know this."

This statement came hours after French President Emmanuel Macron said that he had taken a tough stance this summer regarding Turkey's actions in the eastern Mediterranean, and that he had set red lines ahead of it, "because Ankara respects actions, not words."

"When it comes to sovereignty in the eastern Mediterranean region, my words must be consistent with actions. I can tell you that the Turks do not understand and respect nothing but that ... What France did this summer was important, it is a policy related to setting a red line," the French president added. I applied it in Syria. "
France shows strong support for Greece and takes clear positions against Turkey's policies in Libya.

A call for calm
and amid the continuing escalation of escalation, fears arise of a war in the eastern Mediterranean, while regional and international parties are calling for calm and urging Athens and Ankara to engage in dialogue to resolve the crisis.

On Friday, the United Nations urged Turkey and Greece to continue dialogue to resolve their differences peacefully, after Athens continued to take unilateral steps in the eastern Mediterranean region.

The spokesman for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is following with great concern the escalation of tension in the past two days between Turkey and Greece, and it is important to resolve the differences between the two countries peacefully.

"What we understand is that Turkey and Greece were, until recently, engaged in bilateral consultations, and we urge the parties to continue that dialogue," he added.