Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Conflict over energy sources that occurred in the waters of the East Mediterranean is increasingly rolling. Government Turkey extended a gas exploration mission and ordered naval exercises to guard the border with Greece Thursday (27/8/2020).
Turkey says it is extending the life of the research vessel Oruc Reis. Warships will also accompany Oruc Reis in Mediterranean waters until September 1.
Not only that, President Erdogan’s country also announced plans to hold “cannon drills”. It will be held on the edge of its territorial waters in the northeast corner of the Mediterranean on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We are determined to protect our rights,” said Turkey’s Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, was quoted as saying AFP.
Greece responded to Turkey by ratifying a maritime treaty with Egypt. Greece assesses Turkey’s exploration area to be in its territory.
“Once again it shows who wants de-escalation and who doesn’t,” said a diplomatic source.
Turkey and Greece are actually members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is feared that the escalation of the two will endanger Europe to a sizeable amount of new energy reserves.
Both also threatened to involve war-torn Libya and other countries in the Middle East. Neither side seemed ready to withdraw from the conflict in Mediterranean waters, which involved large numbers of navies from European powers as well as the United States.
On the other hand, Germany as President of the European Union (EU) asked them to end naval exercises. This is important if both countries really want a peaceful solution.
“The precondition for (direct negotiations) is that the maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean stop,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas after completing failed diplomacy rounds in Athens and Ankara this week.
Meanwhile, in order to defuse the existing conflict, US President Donald Trump stepped in. He spoke with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Erdogan on Wednesday (26/8/2020).
This will be the first direct US involvement in the dispute. The White House said Trump was concerned about rising tensions between NATO ally Greece and Turkey.
The Greek prime minister later said that Athens was ready for a significant easing of tensions. “But on the condition that Turkey immediately stop its provocative actions,” he said.
But Erdogan has rejected the preconditions for talks with Greece. The Turkish President’s office said Erdogan reminded (Trump) that our country is not the one that creates instability in the eastern Mediterranean.
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