Turkey condemned France's deployment of military aircraft in Cyprus in the context of intense regional tension, and affirmed at the same time that it was continuing to explore for energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean, despite a front that was formed against it by counting countries.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said - in a statement published yesterday evening - that France could not accept the deployment of military aircraft in southern Cyprus, contrary to the 1960 agreements, in the context of its steps to escalate the current tension in the region.
Aksoy added that Cyprus is not originally authorized to sign the agreement concluded with France in 2017, according to which the French Air Force deployed two Rafale fighters and a C-130 cargo plane.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman indicated that Cyprus is not authorized to sign such an agreement, as it does not represent the entire island nor the Turkish Cypriots in the Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized by Turkey.
Earlier yesterday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that France's statements regarding strengthening its military presence in the region do not serve to solve problems through dialogue and contradict the spirit of the alliance, indicating that Turkey and France are both members of NATO.
Akar warned that his country would respond to any intervention against Turkish ships deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, stressing Ankara's determination to protect its maritime rights and interests.
Before that, Ankara had called on Paris to stop the military escalation in the Mediterranean, in light of the escalating dispute over the exploitation of gas fields between Turkey and its neighbors Greece and Cyprus, which are now supported by several countries, including France, Egypt and Israel.
Hard Positions
Amid calls for calm by the European Union and Washington, there were no indications on the horizon of a radical change in the positions of the conflicting parties in the eastern Mediterranean.
After strongly-worded statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Greek Defense Minister Nicholas Panayotopoulos said that his country is not bending and it is not alone, "in a message considered to be addressed to Ankara, according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, which is close to the right-wing government in Athens.
The Greek official said, "Greece is more powerful than many think, and that it deals with challenges with prudence, discipline and determination that does not budge, because it knows that the right is with it," as he put it.
With the recent escalation of tension in the eastern Mediterranean, Greece put its forces on alert, sent warships, and requested the departure of the Turkish exploration vessel "Aruj Rayes" and the military ships that protect it.
However, Erdogan confirmed yesterday that the exploration mission will continue until the 23rd of this month, when Ankara is supposed to suspend the mission to pave the way for possible talks with Greece.
The Turkish president affirmed that his country is determined to continue exploration activities for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, adding that his country will not "step back in orbit in its continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean, and will not take any step backward in the face of the language of threat and sanctions."
Erdogan added, "Those who excluded Turkey from energy resources in its southern borders through a careful policy 100 years ago will not succeed in achieving this in the eastern Mediterranean."
On Friday, the European Union foreign ministers held an emergency meeting in which they declared their standing with Greece and Cyprus, but they called for dialogue to resolve the current crisis, which is what Athens considered a disappointing position, as it was waiting for a more strict stance similar to what France is doing, which calls for imposing sanctions on Ankara.