US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Wednesday to reduce tension in the eastern Mediterranean and work to avoid a war in the region, while Le Figaro newspaper revealed that a Turkish warship had tracked a French frigate for a long time.

The US Secretary of State urged Turkey and Greece to "reduce tension" to halt escalation in the eastern Mediterranean over disputed maritime borders and gas fields.

"We urge everyone to step back to reduce tension and start diplomatic talks on the conflicts in the eastern Mediterranean, security disputes, disputes over energy resources and maritime disputes," Pompeo said at a news conference.

The region is witnessing an escalation of tension between Ankara and Athens, due to a mutual display of force and events that increased European fears.

The dispute between the two countries mainly revolves around the sharing of gas reserves that have been discovered in recent years.

Pompeo indicated that President Donald Trump had held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

"They should sit together and start talks about all of this, and find diplomatic solutions," he said, adding, "It is pointless to increase military tension in the region, because that only brings negative things."

In this context, Pompeo announced Tuesday that the United States had partially lifted the ban imposed for more than thirty years on the sale of "non-lethal" military equipment to Cyprus, which angered Ankara.

On Wednesday, the Cypriot government welcomed this step, which reflects a "recognition" of the island's role and the "importance" of its relations with the United States.

Pompeo said Wednesday, "We know that this decision was announced at a time of escalation in tension in the eastern Mediterranean, but we were convinced that it was necessary to do so, and decided to move forward."

Turkish response

Turkish Vice President Fuad Aktay said that the US decision to lift the arms embargo on Cyprus would increase the risk of a clash in the region.

A statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry considered that the decision poisoned the atmosphere of peace and stability in the region, and that it contradicted the spirit of the alliance between the two countries.

The Americans have tried to reassure Turkey.

The US ambassador to Cyprus said the decision was not directed against Ankara, describing it as an ally that Washington values ​​greatly.

Pompeo: It is pointless to increase military tension in the eastern Mediterranean (Reuters)

The Turkish-French confrontation

For its part, the French newspaper Le Figaro revealed that a Turkish warship had tracked the French frigate "Le Tonnier" for a long time, while it was heading to Lebanon to provide assistance after the Beirut port explosion in early August.

Since the beginning of the current round of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, it has become clear that Paris has sought to play a role through its positions and moves that have put it against Turkey.

The Turkish behavior appears as a reaction to the participation of the frigate in an exercise with the Greek Navy before heading to Lebanon, and after it approached the Turkish seismic operations area.

Macron had said a few days ago that this summer he drew red lines in front of Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.


And before that, he sent military reinforcements to the region and participated in military maneuvers with Greece and Cyprus.

The Turks responded by accusing France of bullying, and the Turkish president said that "what distinguishes the leaders of Greece and France is greed and incompetence."

He added that Turkey is "ready to sacrifice martyrs", asking, "Are the Greeks and the French ready for that?"