Dispute over gas and influence: Greek military exercise in the Aegean
Photo: Uncredited / APIn the eastern Mediterranean, the risk of a military conflict is increasing. Turkey is now openly threatening Greece with war if its territorial waters expand into the Aegean Sea. "If that's not a reason for war, what else?" Said Vice President Fuat Oktay of the state news agency Anadolu. Ankara will defend its rights at sea regardless of all costs.
Athens immediately criticized the Turkish threat. It is against the "international political culture" to threaten neighbors with war.
Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in parliament on Wednesday that Greece was expanding its sovereign territory in the Ionian Sea from six to twelve nautical miles. In sea areas where other countries are more than 24 nautical miles away, this could possibly also happen.
The Ionian Sea faces Italy. Mitsotakis did not indicate that he wanted to expand the Greek sovereign zone into the Aegean. There are several Greek islands just a few kilometers from the Turkish coast. So far, Greek governments had refrained from expanding the territorial waters in the Ionian Sea, among other things because they would then have to justify why this was not happening in the Aegean.
In Athens people are aware of the explosiveness of the question. "At this point in time, Greece will definitely not expand its territorial waters in the Aegean," SPIEGEL learned from Greek diplomatic circles.
Dispute over gas and influence
Gas has been discovered in the eastern Mediterranean over the past ten years. The dispute between Turkey and Greece has been coming to a head for weeks, among other things because Turkey has sent a reconnaissance ship into the area. The mission was recently extended to the beginning of September.
The Turkish gas search takes place in an area that Greece claims for itself. Ankara, however, argues that the area belongs to the Turkish continental shelf - even if it is close to the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kastelorizo.
The interest in gas is only one of several reasons for the hostilities. In any case, the gas price has fallen sharply; exploitation would be expensive and possibly unprofitable.
The conflict is also about spheres of influence and territorial rights in an area that has long been controversial. In the 1990s, Greece and Turkey were on the verge of war over two uninhabited Aegean islands. Now the armed forces of the NATO partners are again holding maneuvers in the region. France in particular took part in the Greek maneuvers and the US Navy in Turkish exercises.
On Friday, Turkey said it had intercepted six Greek F-16 fighter jets east of Cyprus. On Saturday, Ankara also announced new target practice in the eastern Mediterranean off Turkey's south coast.
The EU foreign ministers called on Ankara on Friday for the ultimate dialogue with Greece. Otherwise the EU special summit on September 24 could discuss further punitive measures against Turkey.
Icon: The mirrorslü / gec / dpa
