On Saturday, Turkey began new military maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean, which are supposed to last two weeks, in an indication that the tension between Ankara and Athens over the sharing of gas resources in this region will continue for a long time.
The Turkish Navy indicated in a naval notice (NAFTEX) published earlier, that it would conduct "shooting exercises" from 29 August to 11 September in an area opposite the town of Anamur, southern Turkey, to the north of the island of Cyprus.
On Thursday, Ankara announced that the firing exercises would take place on Tuesday and Wednesday in an area to the east of this site.
In a tweet on Twitter, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said that, in addition to the exercises that were conducted three times in the eastern Mediterranean with the ships of the allied countries in the past 48 hours, joint naval exercises with Italy were held today in the south of the island of Cyprus.
These military maneuvers are taking place in the context of the tensions hanging over the eastern Mediterranean, where the discovery of large gas reserves in recent years has revived a long-standing regional conflict between Turkey on the one hand and Greece and Cyprus on the other.
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.
As an indication of the sensitivity and volatility of the situation, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Friday that Turkish fighter jets had intercepted six Greek aircraft the previous day as they approached an area where a Turkish ship was conducting a seismic survey, forcing it to return.
Between diplomacy and war
At a time when the European Union hinted that measures could be taken against it, if it did not make progress in resolving the dispute with Greece, Turkish Vice President Fuat Aktay said that his country expects from the European Union fairness.
Fouad Aktay said that his country considers developments in the eastern Mediterranean out of its interests, and that it is ready to conclude agreements with whomever it wishes from other countries, similar to the agreement with Libya.
Today, Saturday, Aktay asked, referring to the Greek moves, "Do you expect us to accept an order like this? If this is not a reason for war, what could it be?"
Athens strongly condemned these statements, and the Greek Foreign Ministry responded in a statement that "the unprecedented possibility that Turkey threatens neighboring countries with resorting to force when it uses their rights is inconsistent with contemporary political civilization."
The Turkish Vice President responded on Saturday that "the European Union's call for dialogue on the one hand, and its preparation on the other hand, other plans, means that it is eluding."
"We master the diplomatic language, but Turkey will not hesitate to do what is necessary to defend its interests," he added.
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the European sanctions would only "increase the resolve" of Ankara.
Amidst the continuing escalation, fears of war in the eastern Mediterranean arise, while regional and international bodies 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.