Turkey is open for dialogue on tensions over its drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean but wants to talk directly with Greece, not France, as Paris has no legal grounds to engage in the matter, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2020) Turkey is open for dialogue on tensions over its drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean but wants to talk directly with Greece, not France, as Paris has no legal grounds to engage in the matter, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had toughened the stance on Turkey's presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and had adopted a "red-line policy," arguing that Ankara understands actions, not words.
"Even despite gross violations of international law [by Greece], we are ready to engage in a dialogue. This concerns only Turkey and Greece, but not France, which is neither a guarantor state of the Cypriot settlement nor a representative of the European Union," Akar said during a visit to the Eskisehir Joint Operation Center of the Turkish armed forces, as quoted by Turkey's Anadolu news agency.
According to the defense minister, though Turkey is not interested in an escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, it will "decisively stand for its interests and rights in the region."
Turkey's drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean have long mired its relations with Greece and also Cyprus, both of which have claimed that Ankara crossed into their exclusive economic zones. Tensions exacerbated last month as Turkey intensified the drilling closer to the Greek border, ignoring the calls to leave the disputed waters.
While Greece has mobilized its armed forces and warned it would stand up for its sovereignty by all available means, including military ones, France and Italy sent a naval contingent to the Eastern Mediterranean to attend a joint exercise with Greece and Cyprus as part of the so-called Quartet Cooperation Initiative (QUAD).
The first QUAD drills were held from August 26-28 off Cyprus' southern coast.
