EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN CRISIS
Back to back military drills by Greece, Turkey, Cyprus amid Germany's diplomatic efforts
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Photo: Ministy of National Defense / Twitter
Greece, Turkey and Southern Cyprus declared military exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean one after another amid the tensions over hydrocarbon exploration activities.
Greece's Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA) has published photographs of a joint naval exercise with the US yesterday (August 24), Ekathimerini reported.
The exercise included a frigate and submarines and F-16 fighter planes of Greece, the US destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, and navy helicopters from both sides, according to the report.
Photo: GEETHA
The exercise included initiatives for joint operational planning, defense, communications and information sharing, Ekathimerini reported, citing the GEETHA.
After Greece, Turkey yesterday announced that it would carry out military drills with "allied forces."
Turkish and allied navy ships will conduct maritime trainings at eastern Mediterranean on 25 August 2020 in order to promote coordination and interoperability. pic.twitter.com/gWSMssS4rA
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 24, 2020
Turkey's announcement was followed by Southern Cyprus, which announced that it would conduct exercises tomorrow.
Cyprus also planning East Med exercises, starting tomorrow. #EastMed #Navtex pic.twitter.com/bJ6MErT6aH
— Derek Gatopoulos (@dgatopoulos) August 25, 2020
Meanwhile, Germany's Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas is visiting Greece and Turkey today to encourage the two countries to resume direct talks to solve disagreements.
He first visited Greece and expected to arrive in Ankara to meet his counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in the evening.
Latest developments in the Eastern MediterraneanOn July 28, Turkey announced that it suspended hydrocarbon exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and stated that it was ready to talk with Greece. On August 6, Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border agreement. On August 10, Turkey announced that its drillship Oruç Reis would resume energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean. It said the ship will continue its work along with the ships Cengiz Han and Ataman until August 23. On August 14, the EU foreign miniters discussed the crisis at an extraordinary meeting, calling on Turkey to end hydrocarbon exploration activities in contested waters. On August 16, Turkey issued a Navtex, announcing that its drill ship Yavuz will continue its work exploring for energy resources off the island of Cyprus. On August 23, Turkey issued another Navtex, stating that the Oruç Reis vessel would continue its activities until August 27. On August 24, Greece held joint naval drills with the US in the south of Crete island. On August 25, Germany's Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas visited Athens and Ankara to encourage the two countires to have direct talks. |
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