The French government will strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean amid the latest tensions between Turkey and Greece over gas and oil exploration in the disputed waters of the region, French President Emmanuel Macron said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2020) The French government will strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean amid the latest tensions between Turkey and Greece over gas and oil exploration in the disputed waters of the region, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
The ongoing dispute between Turkey and Greece, both NATO members, over the maritime border and the rights to offshore energy resource exploration escalated on Monday, when Ankara deployed a seismic research vessel accompanied by several warships to the contested waters near the Greek island of Kastellorizo. The move came in response to the Egypt-Greece maritime deal on an exclusive economic zone, which Turkey opposes.
"I have decided to temporarily strengthen the French military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days, in cooperation with European partners including Greece," Macron wrote on his Twitter page late on Wednesday.
He added that Turkey's unilateral initiatives on the research of natural gas reserves must be taken under control so that "a peaceful dialogue" between members of the NATO and neighboring countries will be possible.
In a separate statement, Macron's office welcomed Germany's mediation initiative, since "greater consultation" is needed between Ankara and Athens.
Earlier in July, Macron called for sanctions on Turkey over seismic drilling in the Greek-claimed maritime area.
Apart from the Turkish-Greek tensions, Paris and Ankara saw a cooling of bilateral relations amid the conflict in Libya.
