The US described Turkey’s survey activity in the Eastern Mediterranean as a “provocation” and urged Ankara on Tuesday to stop searching and begin immediate exploratory talks with Greece.
“TURKEY RAISED TENSIONS IN THE REGION”
“The United States deplores Turkey’s October 11 announcement of renewed Turkish survey activity in areas over which Greece asserts jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said, referring to activities of Turkish seismic vessel, Oruç Reis.
Ortagus claimed that Turkey’s announcement “unilaterally raises tensions” in the region and “deliberately complicates” the resumption of crucial exploratory talks between NATO allies Greece and Turkey.
“Coercion, threats, intimidation, and military activity will not resolve tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. We urge Turkey to end this calculated provocation and immediately begin exploratory talks with Greece,” she said. “Unilateral actions cannot build trust and will not produce enduring solutions.”
Turkey’s Oruç Reis seismic vessel sets sail for E.Mediterranean WATCH
Renewed efforts of the Oruc Reis in the Eastern Mediterranean will be within the Turkish continental shelf hundreds of kilometers away from the Greek mainland, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.
It urged Greece to withdraw its maximalist demands, end military drills that escalate regional tensions and establish sincere dialogue through exploratory talks.