This photograph released by the Turkish Defense Ministry on August 12, 2020, shows Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis heading west of Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: AFP / Handout / Turkish Defense Ministry
Henri J Barkey, Asia Times: What’s next in Eastern Mediterranean?
As Turkey, Greece and others wrangle over gas reserves, the outcome may depend on the result of the US election
Tensions are visibly mounting in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Greek and Turkish navies have conducted rival exercises. The Turkish seismic research vessel Oruç Reis, accompanied by naval vessels, has proceeded with exploration activities in areas deemed to be within Greece’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Commensurately, the level of hostile rhetoric accompanying these tensions has also escalated. European countries are alarmed by these developments: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has done her utmost to calm things down; France, by contrast, has taken a dim view of what it perceives to be aggressive Turkish behavior and has openly sided with Greece by deploying its own naval vessels to the region.
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