Greece Calls for Tougher EU Stance Over Turkish Mediterranean Exploration
Greece urged the European Union on Wednesday to reconsider its customs union with Turkey in response to Ankara's continued gas exploration in contested Mediterranean areas, deploring what it termed Ankara's "imperial fantasies."After meeting Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Nicosia, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said they all agreed that Ankara is "blatantly" violating international law."Turkey's leadership has fantasies of imperial behavior with aggressive behavior from Syria to Libya, Somalia to Cyprus, from the Aegean to the Caucus," he said.The EU should also take note of Turkey's 'many violations' of the EU-Turkey customs union accord…
Lebanon and Israel in Talks Over Maritime Border
Lebanon and Israel, formally still at war after decades of conflict, launch talks on Wednesday to address a long-running dispute over their maritime border running through potentially gas-rich Mediterranean waters.The U.S.-mediated talks follow three years of intense diplomacy by Washington and were announced less than a month after the United States stepped up pressure on political allies of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.They also come after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to establish full relations with Israel…
Erdogan: Turkey will Retaliate to Any Attack on Seismic Vessel in Mediterranean
President Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece on Friday that Turkey will retaliate against any attack on its survey vessel Oruc Reis in the eastern Mediterranean in an escalating row between the NATO allies over gas and oil exploration in the region.Turkey and Greece are vehemently at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region, and tensions rose after Ankara launched exploration operations in a disputed area of the Mediterranean on Monday. On Thursday, Erdogan…
Turkey Slams Greek Claim Over Mediterranean Seismic Survey
The eastern Mediterranean region where a Turkish ship will carry out a seismic survey is part of Turkey's continental shelf, Ankara said on Wednesday, rejecting Greece's accusation that the ship is encroaching on its own shelf.Long-standing tensions between the NATO allies escalated after Turkey's navy on Tuesday issued an advisory known as a Navtex for seismic surveys in waters between Cyprus and Crete.Athens and Ankara are at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources…
Med Countries Address Pollution
Pollution response can be faster and more effective when there is an established emergency communications and emergency system.Mediterranean Countries recently met at a regional workshop held in Brussels, Belgium (22-23 October), to explore the set-up of a common emergency communication system for marine pollution incidents that connects the entire Mediterranean region. During the event, representatives from 12 Mediterranean countries - Albania, Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, France, Israel, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey - received training in the European Union's Common Emergency Communication and Information System for Marine Pollution from ships and off-shore units (CECIS).The participants…
