" Sanctions and threats " will not deter Turkey from conducting energy research in an area of the eastern Mediterranean disputed between Ankara and Athens, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Saturday.
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" On this issue, our country is absolutely right and we will defend our rights using all the means at our disposal ", declared the Turkish head of state during a speech broadcast on television. " We will not back down from sanctions and threats, " he added.
These statements come as tensions have grown in the eastern Mediterranean, where the discovery in recent years of large gas fields has whetted the appetite of the riparian countries. On Monday, Ankara deployed a seismic research vessel, escorted by warships, to an area claimed by Greece, angering Athens.
On Friday, foreign ministers of European Union countries gathered to show their solidarity with Greece, calling for de-escalation. The Greek government is calling for concrete action against Ankara and European countries are due to discuss the situation in the eastern Mediterranean again at a meeting at the end of August. France, whose relations with Turkey have been strained in recent months, on Thursday reinforced its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean to support Athens.