Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is redeploying an energy research vessel in contested waters near a Greek island, jump-starting a controversy that almost brought the two NATO allies to blows this summer.
“This new unilateral act is a severe escalation on Turkey’s part,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday.
That statement portends a renewal of the standoff that culminated in a “minicollision” of Greek and Turkish vessels, an incident that demonstrated the risk of military conflict within the alliance. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to the region in an implicit show of support for Greece in the dispute, and NATO officials brokered a “deconfliction mechanism” in early September, but the tensions persist.
“We will continue to explore, dig, and protect our rights,” Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez tweeted following the Sunday release of a naval advisory.
The dispute has contributed to Western unease about Erdogan’s strategic vision, especially when considered in light of his decision to purchase advanced Russian anti-aircraft weaponry. U.S. lawmakers suspect that Turkey activated the Russian arms to track Greek fighter jets following recent military exercises.
Erdogan agreed last month to withdraw the research vessel and its accompanying military escort after European officials threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey’s ailing economy.
“If there really were exploration in this disputed area of sea, that would be a very regrettable step and, from our point of view, an unwise one,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in Berlin. “It would set back efforts to reduce tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, and it most certainly would be anything but conducive to the continued development of EU-Turkish relations.”
The question of sovereignty over much of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea is complicated by the fact that many Greek islands are near the coast of the Turkish mainland. “It is unacceptable to object to our country, which has the longest coast in the Eastern Mediterranean, to operate at a distance of 15 kilometers from the mainland,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
The withdrawal last month was supposed to create space for Athens and Ankara to negotiate a peaceful resolution. German officials have sought to mediate between the two capitals, but German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas reportedly has scrapped an expected visit to Turkey this week in the wake of the latest Turkish decision.
