In the dispute over natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean, the fronts between Turkey and Greece remain hardened.
Erdogan threatens the neighboring country again - it reacts.
There is
no rapprochement
between
Turkey
and
Greece
in the
conflict over natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean
.
The Turkish
President Erdogan
again issued
threats
.
Meanwhile, Greece is increasing the number of troops on the
EU's external border
with Turkey - and is arming itself militarily.
Update from September 13th, 8.55 a.m.:
In the conflict between
Greece
and
Turkey
over rich
gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea
, Athens has announced large arms purchases and an increase in the armed forces.
As announced by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his country will order 18 French
Rafale
fighter jets
as well as
frigates
and
helicopters
.
In addition, plans are being made to strengthen the national defense industry and
to recruit
almost
15,000 new soldiers
.
According to Mitsotakis, Turkey is “threatening” Europe's eastern border and “undermining” regional security.
Turkey-Greece conflict: Erdogan threatens French President Macron
Meanwhile, Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
warned against "
messing
with the Turkish people".
Erdogan turned in particular to French President
Emmanuel Macron
.
This should not "mess" with Turkey, as Erdogan said during a televised address.
From the French side, President Macron called on Ankara on Thursday not to cross the "red lines" in the conflict in the eastern Mediterranean.
Previously,
France had increased
its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean to stand by Greece.
Turkey-Greece conflict before brutal escalation: Erdogan "ready for all consequences"
First report from September 7th, 10:43 a.m .:
Ankara / Athens - The dispute between
Turkey
and
Greece
over
gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean
continues.
And the situation could escalate further.
From
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
addressed, the least harsh words of French President Emmanuel Macron, were again
threatening gestures
towards Athens.
As before, Erdogan threatened Greece with consequences.
The head of state of Turkey affirmed in a speech in Istanbul on Saturday that the conflict is "ready for all possibilities and all consequences".
After the discovery of rich gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean, both Greece and Turkey as well as Cyprus made claims to the corresponding sea areas in order to be able to mine the valuable raw material.
Natural gas dispute in the Mediterranean: Turkey with military maneuvers - Greece strengthens border troops
Warships
were also
sent
from Ankara and Athens, and
relations between the two NATO members have been extremely tense ever since.
Turkey's decision to
hold
another
military exercise
in the region
on Sunday is
unlikely to change this.
The planned five-day
maneuver
is to
take place
in the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus
, which is only recognized by Turkey.
Meanwhile, Greece has also announced that it will be relocating some units and increasing its military presence on the border with Turkey.
Greek
Deputy
Migration Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos
justified this step on Sunday with the fear that the conflict between the two countries could lead to tensions on the Greek-Turkish border.
Natural gas dispute in the Mediterranean: Greece fears EU blackmail by Turkey
It cannot be ruled out that the Turkish leadership will again
instrumentalize migrants in
order
to blackmail
the
European Union (EU)
and thereby prevent possible sanctions, Koumoutsakos told the news channel Skai.
"We are prepared for this and will respond as we did in March."
In March Erdogan declared the
border
with Greece and thus the EU as open to migrants.
As a result of this announcement, thousands of people headed west.
Ultimately, the Greek security forces had to
prevent
crossings into
EU territory
.
There were words of thanks from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The
CDU
*
politician praised Greece's commitment, the country was the "European shield".
Option A: You sit down at the negotiating table, split up the production areas or even mine the gas together.
Option B: One shoots at each other and wages war. # Greece & # Turkey are still thinking - tendency B. 🙈
* Sarcasm # Mediterranean #Greece_Turkey #Erdogan pic.twitter.com/oAXImyRf3k
- Patrick Diekmann (@patdiekmann) September 1, 2020
Numerous officials from the European border protection agency Frontex are also stationed on the Evros river.
The EU has repeatedly criticized Turkish natural gas research in the sea areas south of the Greek islands of Kastelorizo and southeast of the holiday islands of Rhodes and Crete.
A decision on EU sanctions against Turkey is to be made at the upcoming summit on September 24th and 25th.
(kh) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network
Video: Dispute over natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea - Greece expands its territorial waters