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Turkey’s Navy put on alert in response to Greek provocations

Türkiye Materials 9 September 2020 11:31 (UTC +04:00)
Turkey’s Navy put on alert in response to Greek provocations

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

By the instructions of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's Navy has been put on alert, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish media.

According to the media, this decision was made due to provocations by Greece, which began after Turkey started exploring for hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean Sea.

After Ankara began exploring for hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean, Athens started to transfer the military to the Greek island of Meis, located 2 km from the coast of Turkish Antalya province.

Commenting on this, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that if Greece continues such actions, Athens itself will be the losers.

“Greece's unilateral acts recently in the region are aimed at isolating Turkey in the Mediterranean. Only police or gendarmerie officers can be on this island. If the Greek side tries to exceed the permissible limit of armaments, Athens will end up on the losing side,” Cavusoglu said.

The minister stressed that Turkey is ready for a dialogue on the Eastern Mediterranean with all parties.

Ankara is ready for negotiations and stands for a fair distribution of resources, he said.

Cavusoglu said that Greece is taking an increasingly uncompromising position in relation to Ankara, rejecting any initiatives of the Turkish side.

Athens demonstrates reluctance to enter into dialogue with Turkey on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, said the FM.

“If Athens is confident in its position, then come to the negotiating table. Let them prove their rightness in front of the entire world community. Turkey's theses are also ready,” Cavusoglu emphasized.

He added that even the EU is tired of Greece's position on the Eastern Mediterranean.

Speaking about the exercises of the Turkish Navy in the Mediterranean, Cavusoglu stressed that all actions of the Turkish General Staff in this direction are based on NATO’s rules.

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