After threats of war from Turkey: Greece criticizes "megalomania and self-importance"

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Turkish exploration ship "Oruc Reis" with escort fleet in the Mediterranean (photo from August 12th)

The tone between the NATO partners Greece and Turkey is growing sharper. Greece's energy minister Kostis Chatzidakis reproached Turkey for pursuing 19th-century politics with threats of war. "The megalomania and self-importance on the other side of the Aegean are a bad advisor," Chatzidakis told the news channel Skai.

The Turkish government had previously openly threatened Greece with military consequences if it were to expand its territorial waters in the Aegean. "If that is not a reason for war, what else?", Vice President Fuat Oktay was quoted by the state news agency Anadolu.

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had announced that the Greek sovereign zone in the Ionian Sea, which faces Italy, would be extended from 6 to 12 nautical miles. 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, however, it is clear what such a step could mean in the Aegean. "At this point in time, Greece will definitely not expand its territorial waters in the Aegean," SPIEGEL learned from Greek diplomatic circles.

Large reserves of natural gas are believed to be in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey is exploring the subsurface in sea areas claimed by Cyprus or Greece. The Greek and Turkish armed forces are holding maneuvers in the region. The conflict has a long history. In 1995 the Turkish parliament declared an expansion of the Greek territorial waters in the Aegean as a "reason for war".

Against the background of the current tensions, Turkey started a new military maneuver in the eastern Mediterranean on Saturday. In a statement released on Friday evening, the Turkish Navy announced "target practice" in an area between the southern Turkish city of Anamur and northern Cyprus, which should last until September 11th. Turkey had already announced target practice in an area further east for the coming week. Now the country has started another military maneuver.

Relations between Greece and Turkey have visibly deteriorated over the past few weeks. One of the reasons for this was the dispatch of the Turkish exploration ship "Oruc Reis" to a sea area claimed by Greece almost three weeks ago. The crew of the "Oruc Reis" is looking for natural gas there. According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Turkish fighter jets intercepted six Greek planes en route to the Mediterranean area where the ship is sailing on Thursday, forcing them to turn back.

EU threatens further sanctions

Greece's national defense agency, HNDS, said on Friday that Turkish fighter planes broke into a flight zone monitored by Greece. The incident occurred when four Greek F-16 jets escorted a US fighter plane. According to the information, this belonged to the "Allied Sky" mission, in which US fighter jets fly through all 30 NATO countries in Europe and North America to demonstrate the solidarity of the alliance states, which include both Greece and Turkey.

Greece condemned the entry of Turkish planes as "provocative". They were said to have been driven out of Greek airspace by Greek fighter planes.

Because of the Turkish test drillings in the sea area claimed by Greece, the European Union threatened further sanctions against Ankara on Friday. At the same time, she insisted on settling the gas dispute in direct talks between Greece and Turkey. The EU has already imposed sanctions on Turkey for its gas drilling operations. In July last year, the EU foreign ministers initially decided to cut EU funds for Turkey and to suspend high-level contacts and negotiations on an air transport agreement.

Fok / AFP / dpa