Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged the EU to remain "
impartial
" in the crisis between Turkey and Greece over oil fields in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the Turkish presidency.
Read also: Tensions in the Mediterranean: when the French and Turkish Marines gaze at each other
In a telephone interview with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of the European Council Charles Michel in return underlined the importance of a de-escalation between the two countries and called on Turkey to cease activities that could fuel tensions with Greece, a indicated a European diplomat.
Turkey and Greece, both members of NATO, are tearing up over oil fields in the eastern Mediterranean, in an area that Athens considers to be under its sovereignty.
The crisis, which pitted Ankara against the European bloc, will be on the menu of an EU summit on September 24 and 25.
Some EU members have called for sanctions against Turkey.
During the interview with Charles Michel, the Turkish leader "
invited the institutions and the Member States of the EU to remain fair, impartial and objective and to act responsibly on regional issues, in particular in the eastern Mediterranean
", according to the Turkish Presidency.
On August 10, Turkey sent a seismic survey vessel accompanied by warships into the waters between Greece and Cyprus, prompting Athens to launch naval maneuvers to defend its maritime territory.
On Saturday, President Erdogan threatened Greece during a televised address: "
They will understand, either through the language of politics and diplomacy, or on the ground through bitter experiences
."
Read also: Turkey must stop its "threats" for negotiations to begin
EU foreign minister Josep Borrell spoke of sanctions against Turkey, like France.
But the latter, which has deployed warships and warplanes to the region to support Greece, has so far failed to rally other EU countries to its position.
Charles Michel told Erdogan that "
all measures - the carrot and the stick - will be considered
" at the summit at the end of September, according to the European diplomat.
And Recep Tayyip Erdogan estimated that the EU's approach to this crisis will be "
a test of sincerity
" for international law and regional peace, adding that the provocative positions taken by some European leaders do not promote appeasement, said the Turkish presidency.
In this context of strong tensions, the Turkish army began on Sunday its annual maneuvers, called "
Mediterranean storm
", in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, an entity only recognized by Ankara.
"
The security imperatives of our country and of the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) are inescapable,
" Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay wrote on Twitter.
The exercises should last until Thursday.
The island of Cyprus is divided into two: to the south, the Republic of Cyprus, a member state of the European Union, and the TRNC to the north.
Turkey has installed tens of thousands of troops in the north of the island since its invasion in 1974, which followed a coup led by the then-ruling Greek military dictatorship in Athens.