A sign of appeasement of Greco-Turkish tensions?
The research vessel deployed by Ankara in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean rich in natural gas, sparking tensions with Greece and the European Union, returned to a Turkish port, a daily pro-daily reported Sunday (September 13th). Turkish government.
"This is a first positive step […]. I hope there will be more," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a press conference in Thessaloniki.
Turkey deployed the seismic research vessel "Oruç Reis" on August 10 in waters near a Greek island.
She extended the mission three times despite repeated calls from the EU and Greece to end it.
The discovery of large gas fields in recent years in the eastern Mediterranean has revived old disputes between Greece and Turkey over their maritime borders.
The ship's mission, which came to an end on Saturday, was not extended by the Turkish authorities, according to pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, which specifies that the "Oruç Reis" returned to the port of Antalya, south of the country. country.
The decision not to extend his mission is seen as "a step to give diplomacy a chance," writes the newspaper, which links to attempts to start talks between Greece and Turkey.
"Technical talks"
NATO announced that the two countries had agreed to start "technical talks" with the aim of preventing incidents between their fleets in the eastern Mediterranean.
Athens denied this information, but the Turkish defense ministry said on Thursday that negotiations had started between military delegations from the two countries at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Turkey has repeatedly indicated that it is ready for unconditional dialogue, but Greece says talks can only take place when Ankara ceases its "threats".
"The fact that there is no new maritime notice on Navtex is positive. We take note of it and follow the situation", reacted Sunday the spokesman of the Greek government on the television channel Skai TV.
The mission of the seismic research vessels is to locate any submarine deposits.
A sign of escalating tensions, rival military maneuvers, including Turkish and American warships on one side, and Greek, Cypriot, French and Italian vessels on the other, have recently taken place in the eastern Mediterranean.
>> Read also on France24.com: Greece-Turkey: what to know about the escalation of tensions in the Mediterranean
On Thursday, seven leaders of southern EU countries raised the threat of European sanctions against Turkey if it did not end its "unilateral activities" in the eastern Mediterranean.
With AFP
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