Turkey to continue exploring disputed area in East Mediterranean

Turkey is carrying on with its exploration attempts in a disputed area of the East Mediterranean until mid-September which tensed up the country’s relationship with Greece even further.

Namely, Turkey said on Monday that its Oruc Reis exploration vessel will carry out seismic surveys in an area under dispute between Turkey and Greece in the eastern Mediterranean until 12 September.

Turkey and Greece disagree on all counts over claims to hydrocarbon resources in the area based on conflicting views on the extent of their continental shelves in waters where mostly Greek islands lie.

The Oruc Reis vessel was supposed to work until 1 September but it was decided that it would extend its operations until 12 September.

This was announced following the EU’s called for dialogue with Turkey and demanded that it does not make any unilateral steps to increase tensions with Greece.

According to a Reuters article, Greece’s foreign ministry called the extension of the work illegal and urged Turkey to ease tensions and work for stability in the region.

“Turkey continues to ignore calls for dialogue and to escalate its provocations”, the ministry said in a statement, claiming that Greece won’t be blackmailed.

Greece will keep seeking maritime deals with its neighbours in the region, based on international law and the law of the Sea, the ministry added. Last week, Greece ratified an accord on maritime boundaries with Egypt.

The Oruc Reis would work on a specific exploration area and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the vessel would continue working for the next 90 days and move gradually closer to the Turkish province of Antalya.

Seismic surveys are part of preparatory work for potential hydrocarbon exploration. Last month, Turkey was very successful with its exploration efforts by making a 320 billion cubic metre gas discovery in the Tuna-1 (or Danube-1 in English) well in the Black Sea.

The discovery was made by the Fatih drillship which started drilling operations on 20 July. In late August, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the discovery and shared it on social media.

It is worth noting that Wood Mackenzie labelled the discovery as transformational for the country, given its overwhelming reliance on imports and crippling energy import bill.

Greece and Turkey are not the only countries that have clashed over the disputed waters. Namely, France was quick to join the fray and stand on the side of Greece.

The two conflicting sides both held military drills in the region and countries like Cyprus, Italy, and the U.S. sent ships to join the Greek exercises, while the U.S. and Italy held drills with Turkish units as well.

To make it even tenser, Turkey – regardless of what international law says about the disputed waters – sent ships to explore for gas off Cyprus and accompanied them with warships. Just to show a bit more teeth.

To remind, the two came close to war not so long ago, 1996 to be precise, when the United States stepped in to stop such a thing from happening.

Donald Trump did put a call to the Turkish President but with Trump on the campaign trail and the U.S. not being taken so seriously any more – Turkey was not deterred.

Of course, the main reason for the dispute is not so much the waters as the large gas deposits below it. Most countries in the region including Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, and Palestine teamed up to tap into the massive reserves and perhaps bring them closer together. But Turkey has not joined them so far, partially due to Greece’s territorial claims.

To make it even worse, Turkey is a member of NATO but not of the European Union; Cyprus is a member of the European Union but not NATO; and Greece is a member of both, making a complete mess of allegiances. Then we add in the division of Cyprus into a Greek south and a Turkish north part, although nobody except Turkey recognizes the Turkish part as a separate state, and the mess gets only bigger.

On 12 August, a Greek warship managed to collide with a Turkish warship, and everything got worse from there. France, furious at Turkey over its support of a faction in Libya that France doesn’t support, briefly sent in a couple of fighter jets and warships, and it’s currently holding military exercises with Greece to deter further exploration by Turkey.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter in an attempt to make battleships and jets arriving sound less dangerous: “Our message is simple. Priority for dialogue, cooperation and diplomacy so that the eastern Mediterranean becomes an area of stability and respect for international law.

“It should not be a playground for the ambitions of some; it is a common good“.

This content is available after accepting the cookies.

Change cookie-settings View on Twitter.

Greece then announced a demonstrative extension of its territorial waters off its western coast to 12 miles, in effect warning Turkey that it could do the same in the Aegean Sea on its eastern side. So, with the ball in Turkey’s court, they just decided to carry on exploring.

And Turkey also decided to hold a military exercise offshore northwest Cyprus until 11 September.

The end of the spat is nowhere to be seen. Trump and the U.S. are in campaign mode. Britain has no interest in European affairs as it is out of the EU.

The union also lacks leverage over Turkey, since it has become evident that Turkey under Erdoğan, despite its status as a candidate for membership, has no chance of joining the union.

The only place to look to is Germany, the country that currently presides over the European Council. It has taken upon itself to try and get Turkey and Greece to the negotiating table.

But one must keep in mind that Turkey holds many Syrian refugees at bay and is the final obstacle before they head for Europe – most of them trying to reach Germany. Also, a population of three million Turks in Germany is a bargaining chip allowing Erdoğan to be heard.

So far, Turkey’s explorations in disputed waters have not yet crossed a legal red line. On Friday, E.U. foreign ministers met in Berlin and effectively endorsed Germany’s role, putting off any discussion of sanctions against Turkey until E.U. heads of state meet in late September.

Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, stated: “War is in nobody’s interest, and conflict between NATO members ought to be unthinkable. But when tensions reach the level they have in the eastern Mediterranean. Even the smallest spark can lead to a catastrophe”.

Germany has already called on all sides to immediately halt provocative military exercises, a step that should be followed by a moratorium on exploration in disputed waters, and an attempt to solve everything with diplomacy.

Only days after Maas called for the lowering of tensions, the Turkish President said: “We will not compromise over what belongs to us … We are determined to do whatever is necessary”. He also urged Greece to “avoid wrongs that will be the path to ruin“.