ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2020) Turkey is determined to continue seismological exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean despite the tensions it had caused in its relations with Greece and the European Union, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Turkish broadcaster TRT reported that the Oruc Reis drilling ship, accompanied by Turkish military vessels Ataman and Cingizhan, anchored in Turkey's Mediterranean territorial waters off Antalya's coast.
"All movements of Oruc Reis are being conducted as scheduled. We have not abandoned our lawful rights," Akar told Turkey's Anadolu news agency.
The minister expressed concerns over the visit of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou to the Greek island of Castellorizo in the Aegean Sea, a short sea passage away from the Turkish coast, earlier on Sunday.
"Greece has armed 18 islands in violation of international agreements. Athens is trying to deepen tensions in the region, thus destroying the opportunity for dialogue," Akar said, going on to call on Greece to "refrain from provocative steps which lead to escalation."
Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean have been brewing for many months around Turkey's exploration for gas in waters which Cyprus and Greece claim as their exclusive economic zones. The situation exacerbated this summer, as Turkey sent the Oruc Reis ship, accompanied by a fleet of military vessels, to drill in what Greece considers its continental shelf.
As Ankara ignored the calls to vacate the disputed waters, Greece has mobilized its armed forces. France and Italy sent a naval contingent to the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct joint drills with Greece and Cyprus as part of the so-called Quartet Cooperation Initiative in late August.
Turkey responded by conducting its own military exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean. On Friday, Ankara issued another international Navtex alert to conduct artillery exercises over the weekend.
