The dispute over natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean is coming to a head again. Athens and Ankara have again mobilized their fleets. How can the conflict in the eastern Mediterranean be stopped?
Athens / Ankara / Berlin (dpa) - The federal government has criticized a seismic exploration announced by Turkey south of the Greek island of Megisti (Kasteloriso). Turkish ships are searching for natural gas in the area.
Ankara is also worsening its relationship with the European Union, said a spokesman for the Foreign Office on Monday in Berlin. "In this regard, further seismic surveys at this point are certainly the wrong signal." Turkey and Greece should solve the problems through dialogue.
After a conversation with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg also called for new efforts. "The situation must be resolved in a spirit of solidarity among allies and in accordance with international law."
A Turkish ship is to research for natural gas south of the Greek island until August 23, as announced by the responsible Turkish naval authority. Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez wrote on Twitter that the "Oruc Reis" had already left the port of Antalya and reached the target area.
A special session of the Government Council on External Issues and Defense was held in Athens, chaired by Mitsotakis. It was said that ways had been sought as to how Athens "should react to the Turkish provocations". Numerous ships of the navy of the two NATO states are on the move in the region.
From Athens' point of view, Turkey's search is illegal because the region belongs to the so-called Exclusive Economic Zone of the EU country. The EU has also condemned these Turkish actions and asked Ankara to stop them. According to the Turkish interpretation, islands like Crete have territorial waters, but no exclusive economic zone. Athens has now signed an agreement with Egypt in which - in accordance with international law of the sea - Cairo recognizes that the islands do have such a zone.
At the end of July, after a mediation by Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), there was a slight relaxation between Athens and Ankara. The two NATO countries had agreed to start a dialogue on energy in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the agreement between Greece and Egypt as illegal after a cabinet meeting, but also called for dialogue. All the Mediterranean countries should come together, he suggested. "Let's find a formula that everyone can accept and that protects everyone's rights."
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