Four European countries begin military exercises in the Mediterranean amid growing tension with Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inspects troops during the anniversary of the Battle of Malazgirt on Wednesday.

France and Italy have joined this Wednesday in the military maneuvers launched by Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, exercises aimed at counteracting the growing belligerence of Turkey in the area. The air-naval operation, named Eunomia, coincides with the meetings in Berlin of the European Ministers of Defense (Wednesday) and Foreign Affairs (Thursday and Friday), some appointments in which they will try to reach a consensus on a common position of the EU in relation to the Turkish president , Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Germany, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the European Union this semester and host the meetings, is trying to reduce tension to avoid a head-on collision. The German Defense Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has indicated that "the situation is very tense." And she recognizes that "it is a very complicated conflict, which cannot be solved overnight."

Also attending Wednesday's meeting in Berlin is NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, with whom Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos met to discuss the escalation of tension in the Mediterranean. "We are worried about the situation," Stoltenberg admitted upon arrival in Berlin. And he recalled that Turkey and Greece, both members of NATO, "have been important allies for many years" and called for a reestablishment of dialogue between both parties.

In recent months, conflicts between European partners with Ankara have multiplied, ranging from disputes over territorial waters involving Greece or Cyprus to clashes with France in the wars in Libya or Syria. Germany tries to mediate to avoid a dangerous escalation of tension. "Getting too close to the cliff runs the risk of falling," warned German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas after visiting Ankara and Athens on Tuesday.

The High Representative of Foreign Policy of the EU, Josep Borrell, will propose in Berlin several ways to try to channel relations with Erdogan, including the extension of sanctions if Turkey continues with gas exploration in waters claimed by Cyprus and Greece. It will be "a wide catalog of measures," Borrell pointed out during a joint press conference with Kramp-Karrenbauer. The head of community diplomacy is in favor of avoiding a head-on clash with Ankara and advocates, like Berlin, for a diplomatic solution. But, for the moment, the presence of ships and warplanes in the Mediterranean continues to increase.

The Eunomia air-naval operation will last for three days, with France contributing “three Rafale [combat] aircraft, two frigates and a helicopter to these European maneuvers,” according to the French Minister of Defense, Florence Parly. The minister warned that the message of the operation is clear: "respect for international law should be the norm, not the exception."

The Greek Defense Ministry has assured that Eunomia will seek to "reinforce security and stability in the region and guarantee freedom of navigation." Greece accuses Turkey of “repeatedly violating” the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (which Ankara has not signed) and the rules of international law. Greece further warns that this week's maneuvers are the beginning of closer and more permanent cooperation between the armies of the four participating countries. "The Quartet Initiative will contribute to strengthening a collective naval and air military presence in the region, based on mutual understanding, dialogue and cooperation."

The ever-latent tension between Athens and Ankara has been exacerbated in recent months by the discovery of important subsea gas deposits in waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus. The EU has closed ranks with the two European partners and initiated a process of sanctions against Turkey that, for now, has resulted in the prohibition of two executives of the Turkish oil company from entering the EU and the freezing of their assets.

Greece and Cyprus, with the support of France, are demanding a more severe punishment against the Erdogan regime. But other partners, including Germany and France, are trying to prevent the clash from pushing the relationship with Turkey to a point of difficult return. Kramp-Karrenbauer has assured that the German government is working "at different levels" to cool down the conflict.

The Turkish-Greek tensions, the German minister recalled, pose a threat not only to the relationship between the two countries, but also to the Atlantic Alliance and the European Union itself. The recent visit to the conflict zone by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has not produced any significant progress so far. Following his visit to Ankara and Athens on Tuesday, Maas was "extremely concerned about the escalation of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean."

The US has also insisted on the need to reduce tension in the Mediterranean. And although it also has ships in the area, this week it has carried out practices with both the Greek and Turkish navies.

For his part, Erdogan has said that Turkey is "determined to do whatever it takes" to continue with its plans. "We will not compromise what is ours," Erdogan said, recalling that they do not have "an eye on the territory, sovereignty and the interests of others," so they will not make concessions.

Given the Greek and French presence in Mediterranean waters - a few kilometers from the Turkish coast - President Erdogan has been blunt since the dispute began, while the European Union has sought to calm the waters by means of dissuasive messages to Ankara. But far from being intimidated by possible sanctions, Turkey has continued to inspect the area in dispute with the Oruc Reis ship and the armor of a naval fleet that claims to be prepared for any threat. Erdogan reiterates that he will not blink if he needs to use it: “We want everyone to see that Turkey is no longer a country whose patience, determination, means and courage can be tested. If we say that we will do something, we will do it and we will pay the price ”, assured the president at the commemoration of the victory of Malazgirt, a battle won by the Seljuk Turks against the Byzantine troops 947 years ago.

While Athens claims to be able to exploit the waters surrounding its islands - one of them just two kilometers from Turkey - Ankara refuses to accept it and international law does not solve the problem.

Among the constant verbal skirmishes for control of the Eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan said last week that the prospects in the Black Sea had paid off with the discovery of 320,000 million cubic meters of natural gas. According to Ankara, the present find was "the most important in the history of Turkey". But this finding, which according to Erdogan "opens a new era", will not provide benefits until 2023 when the hydrocarbon begins to reach consumers and after a previous investment of about 6,000 million dollars to extract it. The Minister of Energy, Fatih Donmez, assured that with the extraction of such amount of gas, imports could be reduced, as well as having a stronger profile when renegotiating future energy contracts with suppliers Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan.