Greece "ready for significant de-escalation" if Ankara stops provocations

"Greece is ready for a significant de-escalation, but on condition that Turkey immediately stops its provocative actions," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (August 26th).

In a telephone interview with the latter, Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke of Turkey's "destabilizing actions which endanger the peace and stability of the whole region and put the cohesion of NATO to the test", according to the official. press office of the Greek Prime Minister.

The statements come as rival military maneuvers took place in the eastern Mediterranean on Wednesday, amid growing tensions between Turkey and Greece, both members of NATO, who are fighting over maritime areas rich in hydrocarbons.

On the one hand, Turkish warships carried out exercises with an American destroyer, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense. On the other, "Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy have agreed to deploy a joint presence in the eastern Mediterranean within the framework of the Quadripartite Cooperation Initiative (QUAD)", announced the ministry. Greek Defense. The European exercise began on Wednesday and is scheduled to last until Friday in southern and southwestern Cyprus, according to a military source.

Germany advocates de-escalation

These maneuvers "do not help" the de-escalation advocated by Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, after a meeting of ministers of the Defense of the European Union in Berlin.

They aim to "reaffirm both international law and freedom of navigation," said the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, according to which this deployment, "planned for some time", is not an escalation.

Since August 10, the Turkish seismic building Oruç Reis accompanied by a naval escort has been in this area, provoking the ire of Athens who responded by sending buildings on the spot.

France has warned Ankara that the eastern Mediterranean cannot be a "playground" for national "ambitions". "Respect for international law must be the rule and not the exception," French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly said in a tweet.

The eastern Mediterranean is turning into a space of tension. Respect for international law must be the rule and not the exception. With our Cypriot, Greek and Italian partners we are starting a military exercise today with air and sea resources

Erdogan's warning

Despite calls for de-escalation from Europe, the United States and NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey would make "no concessions" to defend its gas interests in the eastern Mediterranean. He called on his "interlocutors" to "beware of any error" which would lead to their "ruin", in an allusion to Greece which he did not name.

Military exercise in the Mediterranean: Turkey will take "what is rightfully its own"

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was "concerned about the situation in the eastern Mediterranean", also urging "de-escalation" and "dialogue". "We must find a way to resolve this situation (...) on the basis of the spirit of solidarity between allies and of international law," he said.

The small Greek island of Kastellorizo, located two kilometers from the Turkish coast, crystallizes Ankara's anger. According to Athens, the surrounding waters are under Greek sovereignty, which would deprive Ankara of tens of thousands of km2 of gas-rich sea areas.

The Greek-Turkish dispute will be on the agenda of a council of EU foreign ministers on Thursday and Friday in Berlin.

With AFP

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