The turkish government makes another attempt for explorations for gas in the Mediterranean. The greek government opposes those activities, because it estimates Turkey hereby violates the greek exclusive economic zone, writes WELT:
"The "Oruc Reis" is on the way again. The 86-meter-long Turkish research ship, named after a legendary admiral from the Ottoman Empire, searches for gas and oil deposits in the eastern Mediterranean. The technical equipment on board enables the seabed to be explored seismically to a depth of 15,000 meters. It is already the second research voyage of the ship, it should last until 23 August. But whether this will actually happen is uncertain. The “Oruc Reis” had to abort its first mission three weeks ago. And today the situation is similar to that which already forced the ship to return to the port of Antalya
The Greek Navy is on alert after an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Monday: Some warships are on their way to the Greek island of Kastelorizo, off whose coast the “Oruc Reis” is cruising, others are on their way to Cyprus. Because there, too, Turkey is looking for natural gas with an exploration ship. She has her boats protected by several frigates and has ordered additional warships into the area. Ankara wants to hold sea maneuvers and has also announced that it will use live ammunition.
There is a threat of renewed escalation in the Mediterranean, which is not only about raw materials, but also about a crucial geopolitical question: How far does Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan want to go in terms of power politics - and will Greece put him in his place.
At that time, the naval boats of the two NATO countries had come dangerously close for the first time. Only Merkel's intervention had prevented an armed conflict. The Chancellor mediated through telephone calls with the Turkish head of state and the Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis. Turkey then stopped gas exploration. Both NATO countries agreed to a dialogue. But now Turkey and Greece are rattling their sabers again and signaling that they are ready for war. There are several reasons why it could come to this.
French President Emmanuel Macron has already announced that he will temporarily increase the French military presence in the eastern Mediterranean. Macron expressed his concern about the tension there on Wednesday in a telephone conversation with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as the Élysée Palace announced. These would be caused by Turkey's unilateral decisions on oil production and would have to be ended.
Erdogan, in turn, accused Greece of malice, but at the same time called for negotiations. "The attitude that Greece shows in the Aegean and the Mediterranean is insidious," said Erdogan on Thursday in Ankara. But he also emphasized: “The way to a solution in the Eastern Mediterranean is through dialogue and negotiations.” Erdogan wanted to call Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday. Merkel had already mediated the gas dispute in July.
Athens considers Turkey's search for natural gas off the Greek islands to be illegal, because this region belongs to the so-called Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the EU country. Greece feels vindicated by the EU, which has condemned the Turkish actions and asked Ankara to stop them.
The Federal Government also considers “further seismic investigations at this point in time to be the wrong signal”, as the Foreign Office announced. But Turkey doesn't give a damn. According to you, islands like Crete have territorial waters, but no exclusive economic zone. For Turkey, the Mediterranean agreement concluded a week ago between Greece and Egypt is also null and void.
Cairo recognizes - in accordance with international law of the sea - that the islands in question do have such a zone. "For Turkey's energy independence, our activities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea will continue uninterrupted," wrote Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez on Twitter on Monday.
In return, Ankara insists on the agreement it signed with Libya in autumn last year on the exploitation of natural gas and oil in the Mediterranean. For Athens, however, the Turkish-Libyan memorandum again belongs “in the garbage can”, as the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias clearly put it.
At first glance, it's a confused and bitter dispute between two riparian countries over resources in the Mediterranean. In fact, the reasons for the antagonism are more profound. Greece defends itself against the imperialist power politics of Erdogan, who wants to build a neo-Ottoman Empire by all means.
He recently confirmed this by converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Erdogan presented himself like a sultan. He spoke of "a new era" that had dawned for Turkey; his country will play a dominant role as the leading nation in the region in the future. But that's exactly what Athens wants to prevent.
For this, little Greece needs powerful allies. Egypt is already on board via the Mediterranean Agreement. Even before that, Greece intensified its relationship with Israel, which, like Egypt, is very critical of Turkey.
Greece has recognized the gravity of the situation. The country bordering the eastern Mediterranean will sooner or later lose out if it does not show a policy of strength now. Turkey has been ruthlessly hurting the interests of its neighboring country for years. For example, it has occupied parts of the island of Cyprus since 1974 and is not considering giving it up. It was only at the beginning of this year that Erdogan once again sent tens of thousands of refugees to the Greek border and provoked a month-long crisis.
For this, little Greece needs powerful allies. Egypt is already on board via the Mediterranean Agreement. Even before that, Greece intensified its relationship with Israel, which, like Egypt, is very critical of Turkey.
Greece has recognized the gravity of the situation. The country bordering the eastern Mediterranean will sooner or later lose out if it does not show a policy of strength now. Turkey has been ruthlessly hurting the interests of its neighboring country for years. For example, it has occupied parts of the island of Cyprus since 1974 and is not considering giving it up. It was only at the beginning of this year that Erdogan once again sent tens of thousands of refugees to the Greek border and provoked a month-long crisis.
Egypt used to be the location of the Islamist organization and, in Mohammed Morsi, even provided a president from among its ranks. However, al-Sisi overthrew him in a military coup in 2013, and thousands of Brotherhood supporters ended up behind bars. But the organization could become a threat again. Egypt is therefore clearly positioning itself vis-à-vis Turkey: a month ago, parliament approved a military intervention in Libya. Should Turkey expand its influence in Libya, al-Sisi wants to use Egyptian soldiers.
Egypt is not the only new ally of Greece. For a few months now, Athens has also been strengthening its relationship with Israel. In January, the two countries signed a contract for a 1900 kilometer pipeline to bring natural gas from fields in the eastern Mediterranean to Europe. The project is valued at six billion dollars.
They are also moving closer militarily. Greece is getting Israeli drones and the Israeli air force is taking part in military exercises in the country. The modern Israeli F-35 fighter aircraft would also complete the Greek Navy. Israel, on the other hand, can benefit as it has only a weak navy and can therefore use the protection of the Greek warship fleet. In this way, Greece and Israel can complement each other and develop into a serious power factor in the Mediterranean region.
The connection between Athens and Jerusalem is no accident. Israel's relations with Turkey have been bad for years, Erdogan makes no secret of his support for the Palestinians and uses every opportunity to attack Israel.
The anti-Israel stance and Palestine are an important part of Turkish foreign policy. The Turkish government supports the radical Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has its roots with the Muslim Brotherhood; At Erdogan's television speech on the occasion of the transformation of Hagia Sophia, he spoke of an important step on the way to the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Greece, on the other hand, is also looking for support from NATO to strengthen its position vis-à-vis Turkey. Since the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed a military cooperation agreement in Athens in October, the US has been making increasing use of Greek military bases on the mainland, but also on islands such as Crete. No wonder, then, that the Turkish media in July complained about the renewed American-Greek military exercises in the Mediterranean: The relationship between Washington and Ankara could suffer as a result, the US should better leave Greece's hands.
For its part, the United States recently governed the “Oruc Reis” research expedition and announced through a State Department spokesman that it was “helping to increase tensions in the region” - Turkey should stop all plans for such operations. The power struggle in the Mediterranean is in full swing."
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