Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that his country will continue to defend its rights in the eastern Mediterranean and "will not yield to threats and blackmail," while voices in Greece have been calling for a confrontation with what has been called "Turkish ambitions."

Erdogan's statements came during a brief speech he gave during his visit to the mausoleum of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Ankara.

Erdogan said, "The decisive successes we have achieved in various arenas, whether in the field of energy or combating terrorism, from Syria to Libya and from the Black Sea to the eastern Mediterranean, are clear indications of our country's will to protect its rights and interests."

He added, "Turkey, especially the eastern Mediterranean, will not yield to the language of threats, dictations and blackmail, and will continue to defend its rights in accordance with international laws and bilateral agreements."

In his post on the same occasion, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the Turkish armed forces are determined and able to protect the country's national and international rights and interests, whatever the price.

"The Turkish Armed Forces, as they did in the past, are determined and able today to protect our homeland, our people, and our national and moral values, and are determined and able to protect our rights and international interests, whatever the price of doing this," he added.

Victory Day and Armed Forces Day are considered a national holiday in the Turkish Republic and the Republic of Northern Cyprus. On this occasion, the two countries commemorate the victories achieved by the Turkish army, led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, over the Allied forces and the Greek armies on August 30, 1922.

In Greece, voices are being raised in the ruling party calling for a confrontation with the so-called "Turkish ambitions" regarding Greece's rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Athens also accused Ankara of "using violence against its neighbors due to exercising their role in defending their legal rights."

The Greek Foreign Ministry said in a previous statement that "the unprecedented possibility that Turkey threatens neighboring countries with resorting to force when it uses its rights is inconsistent with contemporary political civilization."

Earlier in the day, European Union foreign affairs coordinator Josep Borrell hinted that action could be taken against Ankara if it fails to make progress to resolve the dispute over gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

He said that the measures could include individuals, ships, or the use of European ports, adding that the European Union would focus on everything related to "activities that we consider illegal."

At the conclusion of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Berlin, Borrell called on Ankara to refrain from what he called unilateral measures, suggesting the possibility of imposing economic sanctions on it.

Exercises and exercises

On Saturday, Turkey began new military maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean, which are supposed to last for two weeks, in an indication that the tension between Ankara and Athens over the sharing of gas resources in this region may last 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.

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 6 Greek planes the previous day as they approached an area where a Turkish ship was conducting a seismic survey, forcing it to return.

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.