Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, during telephone talks with the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, called on the EU to remain fair, impartial and objective in resolving the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, where recently there has been tension between Athens and Ankara over the latest exploration work. This is stated in a statement issued on Sunday by the office of the Turkish leader.
"Mr. President said that Greece and some EU member states should fulfill their obligations within the framework of justice in terms of preventing escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean sea. [Erdogan] stressed that the provocative words and steps of European politicians on regional issues would not serve to solve the [current] situation. Mr. President noted that the EU's attitude to the Eastern Mediterranean would be a test of sincerity from the point of view of international law and regional peace. Mr. President called on the EU institutions to remain fair, impartial and objective, and to act responsibly on all regional issues, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean," the communique said.
Meanwhile, earlier on Sunday, a source in the EU Council told reporters in Brussels that Michel had called for a multilateral conference to resolve the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean during a conversation with Erdogan. According to the diplomat, Michel stressed the importance of de-escalating the conflict and called on Turkey to refrain from actions that fuel tensions in the region. The source reminded that the situation in the Mediterranean sea would be the focus of the attention of the community's leaders at the upcoming EU Summit on September 24-25.
Situation in the Mediterranean
Ihlas Turkish news agency earlier reported that Ankara was moving tanks to the border with Greece amid tensions in the Mediterranean sea. According to it, the trucks carrying 40 tanks left the Reyhanlı district in Hatay province on the border with Syria. Then the military equipment will be transported by train to the Western province of Edirne on the border with Greece. Greek media published photos and videos of the transfer of equipment, which appeared in Turkish publications. Meanwhile, the state-run Anatolian news agency claims that a number of Turkish media mistakenly reported on sending military equipment to the Greek border. According to it, there was a planned relocation of forces to Malatya, located in the East of Turkey, and military equipment is not being transferred to the border with Greece.
On August 6, the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Egypt signed an agreement on the demarcation of maritime zones in the Mediterranean. The document has already been ratified by the parliaments of the two countries. According to Athens, the agreement with Egypt establishes the right of the Greek Islands to the sea shelf and the exclusive economic zone. Ankara stated that it does not recognize this document, and sent its research vessel Oruc Reis, accompanied by a group of warships, for seismic exploration on the Greek sea shelf near the island of Kastellorizo. In response, Greece put its armed forces on alert and said it would defend its sovereign rights.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS