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Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on Turkey to "stop provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean," referring to the country's hydrocarbon exploration activities.
"In the past year and a half, there has been an increased level of provocation by Turkey on several fronts," he told CNN International in an interview yesterday (August 19).
When asked about what would be the ideal outcome of the current situation, he said that the two countries should "discuss like civilized neighbors."
However, he said, Greece "cannot tolerate Turkey's unilateral activities."
Mitsotakis asserted that the incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean was not only a disagreement between two neighbors but a challenge for the entire Europe.
One of the major issues with Ankara was the fact that it sent "significant numbers of military vessels" to the area between the islands of Crete and Cyprus, he noted.
Asked by CNN's Christiane Amanpour what message he would like to send to Turkey, the Mitsotakis said, "Stop the provocations and let's start talking."
What is happening in the Eastern Mediterranean?On 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. |
(PT/VK)
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