Greece Military Confers over Turkish Ship in East Med
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday conferred with military chiefs after Turkey resumed oil and gas research near a Greek island, his office said.
senior Greek minister added that navy ships were monitoring
the Turkish seismic research ship Oruc Reis.
"We are in complete political and operational
readiness," Minister of State George Gerapetritis said on state TV ERT.
"Most of the fleet is ready to be deployed wherever
necessary," he said.
Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez had earlier tweeted
that the Oruc Reis had "reached the destination where work would be
undertaken", near the island of Kastellorizo.
Mitsotakis' office said the PM had spoken to EU Council
President Charles Michel on the issue, and would later speak to NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg.
Energy exploration in the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean is
a frequent source of tension between Turkey and a bloc of neighbours including
Greece, Cyprus, and Israel.
Turkey sent out a message on NAVTEX, the international
maritime navigational telex system, announcing the vessel would be carrying out
activities off the island of Kastellorizo between August 10 and 23.
The move came just days after the NATO allies seemed close
to talks over disputed maritime zones in the Aegean.
Turkey had called off an earlier search by the Oruc Reis
last month to hold negotiations with Greece and Germany, which holds the
rotating EU presidency.
But the mood soured last week after Greece and Egypt signed
an agreement to set up an exclusive economic zone in the region.
The Turkish foreign ministry said the "so-called
maritime deal" was "null and void".
Egypt, Cyprus and Greece have likewise denounced a
contentious deal, including a security agreement, signed last year between
Ankara and UN-recognised government in Libya.
Greece, Cyprus and Israel in January signed an agreement for
a huge pipeline project to transport gas from the eastern Mediterranean to
Europe despite Turkey's hostility to the deal.
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