Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Vienna on Friday, to discuss growing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, amid a dispute between Turkey and Greece over hydrocarbon resources. Pompeo is currently on a five-day official visit to eastern Europe.
Ankara announced on Monday that its seismic research ship, Oruç Reis, and two auxiliary vessels would be conducting exploratory drilling in waters claimed by both nations, until August 23. Greece accused Turkey of “threatening peace” in the region, and said that its military was on high alert, in “full political and operational readiness to deal with Turkish aggression”. Dendias asked Turkey on Tuesday to “immediately leave the Greek continental shelf”, stressing that the country was determined to defend its sovereign rights.
Also read: Greece Slams Turkey's Announcement of Exploratory Drilling in Disputed Waters
Athens is also seeking help from the European Union (EU) on this matter and has called for an emergency bloc meeting in this regard. Consequently, a gathering between the parties will be held on Friday via teleconference. The US and Germany have appealed for the resumption of bilateral talks between Athens and Ankara, which Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said had been ongoing for two months until last week. NATO and the EU have also called for restraint, and the EU has said that Turkey’s actions could risk strained ties with the bloc.
Tensions were reignited after Greece signed a maritime demarcation agreement with Egypt on August 6, to create an exclusive economic zone (EEZ)—which can extend up to 200 nautical miles—in the waters that contain oil and gas reserves. Ankara immediately condemned the deal as an infringement on Turkey’s continental shelf. In a statement, the Turkish foreign ministry said: “A maritime boundary between Greece and Egypt does not exist. With respect to Turkey, the so-called maritime delimitation agreement is null and void. This understanding will reflect on the ground and at the table.” Turkey, it vowed, “will not allow any activity at the area in question and will resolutely continue to defend its legitimate rights and interests as well as those of the Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean.” Turkey said that Greece’s actions showed that it could not be trusted.
Both countries have expressed their desire to resolve the issue through peaceful means and in line with international law, but have vowed to defend their interests in the region, refusing to take any provocation lightly.