With the continuing tension in the eastern Mediterranean between Turkey and Greece, NATO and the European Union are trying to de-escalate the escalation, while the Turkish army announced that it continues to assume its responsibilities and perform its tasks in the eastern Mediterranean, and supports dialogue at the same time.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the Secretary-General of NATO announced an initiative to hold meetings between the Turkish and Greek military, against the backdrop of tension in the eastern Mediterranean, and that his country supports this initiative.
Akar stressed that the armed forces will protect the rights and interests of Turkey in accordance with international laws, noting that Greece has armed 16 islands in the Aegean Sea in a step that violates the Lausanne Agreement.
During the past days, unusual Greek military movements were monitored on the island of Meis, and this island - over which Greece imposes its sovereignty - is only two kilometers from the coast of the Turkish town of Kas in the state of Antalya, and is more than 580 km away from the Greek mainland.
🔴Dışişleri Bakanlığı'na önemle duyurulur;
Paris Antlaşması'nın 14. maddesi gereği İstanbul'dan Yunanistan'a "gayri askeri statü" ile devredilen Meis / Kızılhisar Adası'nda;
kolluk kuvvetleri dışında askerler de konuşlanmış, tahkimat işlemleri de yapılmıştır.
pic.twitter.com/6E1V4hOk6d
- Doğu Akdeniz Politik (@akdenizpolitik) September 1, 2020
The Sanad service for monitoring and verification on the island monitored satellite images and a video clip showing Greek military movements on the island and two other nearby islands.
The photos, which Sanad has confirmed, show the presence of Greek soldiers and military vehicles on the island.
Other photos showed Greek forces and fortifications on Rho Island, which lies 5 kilometers west of Mays, as well as on Strougili Island, east of Mays.
The French role
On the French presence in the eastern Mediterranean, Akar said, "France has no relationship with the region, it has no borders, it has no representation in the concluded agreements, and it has no power to represent NATO or the European Union."
"(France) came from thousands of kilometers away to speak about principles and allegations in several cases," he added, noting that it had brought its military equipment to the region and participated in several maneuvers.
He said, "It does so in the name (under the pretext of) reducing tension, on the contrary, it increases tension, and they know that what they are doing is wrong," and that "the statements they (the French) make, and the language, style and positions used by them, are not correct and do not serve dialogue and peace. ".
He stressed that France "believes that it can do whatever it likes, not only in the eastern Mediterranean, but also makes statements from Iraq," warning that "these matters do not serve peace and dialogue, and are not in harmony with the spirit of the alliance (NATO), but rather are emotional actions. For your information, these steps have no results. "
The Defense Minister called for a reflection on the two-sided policy of France and President Emmanuel Macron, noting that the latter had described in previous statements NATO as "clinically dead" and then hid behind the alliance and behind the European Union.
He also pointed out that Macron considers directing insults to the noble Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) as "freedom of expression," but he does not tolerate an innocent question from a journalist.
European action
For his part, European Council President Charles Michel is seeking to convene a multilateral conference to help ease tension in the Eastern Mediterranean over Turkish gas exploration activities.
Michel said he had raised the idea of holding the conference to Turkey and other partners.
He added that there is no negative reaction to holding the conference, although he has not yet received signals of acceptance, and Michel indicated that he will visit the member states of the European Union (Greece, Cyprus and Malta) to discuss the matter before the European Union summit scheduled for the 24th of this month, and it is expected that it will lead The issue of the eastern Mediterranean summit agenda.
The European Union announced its support for Greece and Cyprus in confronting Turkey over the eastern Mediterranean crisis.
A spokesman for the European Union's Foreign Policy Committee, Peter Stano, said that the support of the two countries is essential for the members of the Union, and explained that dialogue is the only way to defuse the tension between the two sides.
He added, "This is what we are waiting to see and want at this stage, which will bring permanent stability."