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Turkey-Greece Tensions Escalate Over Ankara's Mediterranean Ambitions

Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime
   Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Wednesday in an effort to defuse
   rising tensions over disputed territorial waters in the eastern
   Mediterranean Sea. The meeting on the sideline of the London NATO
   summit comes amid Turkish-Greek tensions over territorial disputes
   about the Mediterranean.

   Bilateral tensions have escalated with Turkey's agreement with Libya,
   increasing Turkish control of eastern Mediterranean waters. The region
   is experiencing a scramble for potential energy reserves in the area.

   Athens has been pressing for the full details of the Turkey-Libya deal,
   which Erdogan signed in Istanbul with Libya's Tripoli-based Government
   of National Accord (GNA ). Under the agreement, Turkey extended its
   control of the eastern Mediterranean, opening up the area to Turkey to
   search for hydrocarbons.

   Athens condemned the agreement, claiming it denied the territorial
   waters of three prominent Greek Islands.

   "Turkey's attempt to abolish the maritime borders of islands like
   Crete, Rhodes, Karpathos, and Kastelorizo with tricks, such as voiding
   bilateral memorandums of understanding, will not produce
   internationally legal results," said Mitsotakis.

   Egypt and the Greek Cypriots, too, voiced concern about the agreement.
   The three countries, along with Israel, are cooperating in developing
   sizeable natural gas fields across the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is
   predicted that cooperation between the countries will extend to
   security, a move analysts say could be aimed at curtailing Turkey's
   growing assertiveness.

   "Whatever Greece, Egypt, and Greek Cyprus do will not affect the step
   we have taken with Libya. We have already sealed our agreement with
   Libya," Erdogan said, dismissing regional concerns.

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