Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that his country is determined to obtain its rights in the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, stressing that Ankara will not make concessions in its conflict with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, at a time when Athens announced that military exercises in which Greece, France, Italy and Cyprus will participate today and until Friday's destination in the south of the Greek island of Crete and Cyprus.
In a speech marking the anniversary of the celebration of the battle in which the Ottomans defeated the Byzantines in 1071, Erdogan said that his country is determined to obtain what it is entitled to in the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Black Sea, adding, "We want everyone to realize that Turkey is no longer a country that tests its patience, determination and potential." And her courage after today. " And the Turkish president added that his country "does not covet the lands, sovereignty and interests of others, and will not tolerate those who target its territories and sovereignty."
Tensions increased between Ankara and Athens in recent months regarding the disputed sovereignty over the Mediterranean maritime areas, especially after Turkey concluded an agreement with the recognized government of reconciliation in Libya to demarcate the maritime borders, and months later, Greece and Egypt signed an agreement to demarcate their maritime borders.
No concession,
Erdogan stressed in today's speech that his country will not make any concessions in defense of its interests in the eastern Mediterranean, calling on Greece to avoid committing any mistake that "could lead to its ruin."
Since the 10th of this month, Turkey has sent a seismic vessel "Oruj Reis" accompanied by a naval force to explore energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean, which angered Greece, which deployed warships in the region. President Erdogan announced last Friday that the largest natural gas discovery for his country had been made in The black sea.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Greece should abandon its "exaggerated approach" by setting preconditions for the start of a dialogue over a dispute over areas rich in energy resources in the Mediterranean, adding that Ankara expects the European Union to act as a "fair and objective" mediator. .
Davutoglu's statement came at a press conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Ankara, in the context of Berlin's efforts to calm tension between Greece and Turkey. Maas said that "the window for direct dialogue between Greece and Turkey must be open now to its power and not close."
The Foreign Minister of # Germany, Heiko Maas, arrives in the capital, # Ankara, in an effort to mediate Germany, which is the second between # Turkey 🇹🇷 and # Greece 🇬🇷 in the last four months against the background of tension between them in the Eastern Mediterranean pic.twitter.com/hihovWq9YX
- Almotaz God Hassan 🎯 (@Almoutaz_bellah) August 25, 2020
A German warning and the German
minister warned that "the current situation in the eastern Mediterranean is like playing with fire, that is, a small spark that could lead to disaster." Yesterday, the German foreign minister visited Greece and Turkey to push the two countries to dialogue in order to demarcate their maritime borders.
On the other hand, the Greek Defense Ministry said that Greece, France, Italy and Cyprus will hold military exercises from Wednesday to Friday in the south of the Greek island of Crete and in Cyprus. The Ministry of Defense statement indicated that "tension and instability in the eastern Mediterranean have increased disagreements over issues regarding the maritime domain (demarcation of borders, migrations and the influx of refugees ...)".
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said yesterday that it would hold a "transitional military exercise" Tuesday in southern Crete. Turkish media described the exercises as a "response" to the naval notice (NAFTEX) issued by Athens last Sunday.