Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Thursday that an attack on a Turkish vessel seeking oil in a disputed area of the Mediterranean would come at a " heavy price ", and hinted that an incident had already occurred.
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Tensions between Turkey and Greece escalated further when Ankara sent the Oruç Reis ship on Monday to explore an area off the Greek island of Kastellorizo. Several Turkish warships accompanied the Orus Reis. Greece responded by sending its own warships to the area to monitor Turkish activities. In a speech to members of his party, Erdogan appeared to suggest that Oruc Reis had been attacked during his expedition and that Turkey had responded.
" No incident has occurred "
“ We told them 'Don't even think about attacking the Oruç Reis, you will pay a heavy price if you attack our Oruç Reis.' And they got the first response today, ”the Turkish president said. He didn't provide any details and immediately moved on to another topic. In Athens, the Greek Ministry of Defense denied attacking the Turkish ship.
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" No incident has occurred, " a senior official told AFP. Earlier today, Erdogan met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Charles Michel to try to ease tensions. " He pleaded for a solution to the problems within the framework of international law and the principles of dialogue and equity ", according to the Turkish presidency.
The discovery in recent years of vast gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean has whetted the appetite of the riparian countries and heightened tensions between Turkey and Greece, both members of NATO but at odds over the delimitations of their maritime borders. The EU has watched these tensions with concern, calling on Turkey to cease exploration activities.
Ties between France and Turkey have also deteriorated since a naval incident in June, when Paris accused the Turkish navy of being " extremely aggressive " towards a French military vessel. The French government announced Thursday that it would " temporarily " strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean.