Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ratcheting up the tensions in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean with threats against Greece over the delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.In an interview with Turkish TRT television he attacked Greece and Cyprus even as he defended the controversial Libya-Turkey MOU regarding the supposed delimitation of the two countries’ EEZs, which under international law do not meet.
Erdogan described Greece’s move to expel the Libyan ambassador to Greece in response to the MOU as an «international scandal» and declared that Greece will pay the price of its actions internationally.
He did not elaborate.
Erdogan also expressed Ankara’s anger with the Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt energy cooperation declaring that the four countries cannot make a move without Ankara’s approval.
Believing that he has made a checkmate move with Libya. Erdogan essentially argued that the four cooperating countries cannot construct a natural gas transmission line without Turkey’s consent.
«Greece’s hands and feet have been bound and that has driven them crazy,» Erdogan declared.
Turkish government leaks indicated that Ankara is poised to conduct gas drilling areas that it has expropriated in the deal with Libya. That includes large parts of Greece’s EE
«Despite the rights we have they were threatening us but we will not back down. In this agreement Turkey availed itself of its rights under international law and ruined the game of unilateral actions. Now we can conduct joint exploration in these areas,» Erdogan declared.
Erdogan also announced that Turkey will buy a third drill for exploration in the Black Sea and international waters.
