Greece has demanded Turkey withdraw its ships from an area it claims as its own.-
By Bradford Betz | Fox News
Emmanuel Macron ordered French forces on Thursday into the eastern Mediterranean where tensions have been rising between Greece and Turkey over disputed waters.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warmly welcomed the move, tweeting Thursday that Macron was “a true friend of Greece and also a fervent protector of European values and international law.”
Meanwhile, Turkey accused Greece and the island nation of Cyprus of encroaching on its rights in the Mediterranean and vowed to defend its interests in the region — but also called for dialogue to resolve the dispute.
Turkey recently deployed a seismic research vessel, escorted by warships, into waters between Crete and Cyprus to prospect for offshore gas and oil.
Greece claims part of the area covers its continental shelf and has demanded that the Turkish ships withdraw. Turkey took the position that it’s entitled to conduct research there. Greece placed its military on alert and sent warships to the area off Turkey’s southern coast.
In Ankara, and later in talks with European officials, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated a call for dialogue and negotiation to arrive at a win-win situation for all three countries that preserves each state’s rights in the sea.
“We don’t have designs on anyone’s rights, but we won’t let any country take away our rights,” Erdrogan said.
He also accused France of provoking Greece and Cyprus into taking wrongful steps.
Macron announced late Wednesday that he decided to “temporarily reinforce the French military presence in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days, in cooperation with European partners including Greece.”
La situation en Méditerranée orientale est préoccupante. Les décisions unilatérales de la Turquie en matière d’exploration pétrolière provoquent des tensions. Celles-ci doivent cesser pour permettre un dialogue apaisé entre pays voisins et alliés au sein de l’OTAN.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 12, 2020
France, a NATO and European Union ally with Greece, is the E.U.’s biggest military power. Complicating matters, Turkey — Greece’s historic regional rival — is also a NATO member it but has poor relations with France.
In a televised statement Wednesday, Mitsotakis warned of the “risk of an accident” in the patch of sea where the Greek and Turkish warships are gathered.
“In such a case, responsibility lies upon the one who gives rise to these circumstances,” he said. He added that Greece was not averse to “even the toughest dialogue,” but that “dialogue becomes irrelevant in a climate of tension and provocation.”
The Greek prime minister vowed not to escalate the standoff at sea, but remained unwavering.
“Yet, self-restraint is only one aspect of our power,” Mitsotakis said. “No provocation will … go unanswered.”
