Times: Tension in the Eastern Mediterranean is growing

The American Times magazine reported that tension in the eastern Mediterranean is increasing over Gas and oil reserves in the region.

This came in a report entitled Greece and the United Arab Emirates, the island of Crete, the approaching start of military actions, with the expansion of Turkey’s search for gas sources in the Mediterranean.

The newspaper said that the UAE sent four F-16 fighter jets to participate in maneuvers south, west and east of Crete, and the newspaper said that Greek frigates and F-16s also participated in these maneuvers. 

12 days ago, Greece and France participated jointly in a number of Military maneuvers in the region.

Meanwhile, The Times reported that the mission of the Ankara ship Oruç Reis to search for natural gas sources near the region has been extended until Thursday.

The newspaper reported that the ship entered the region accompanied by five Turkish navy ships, and that the crisis between Ankara and Athens attracted other regional powers to it.

The Times also reported that the Ministry of National Defense also announced that “forces in the Aegean are conducting air and sea maneuvers over the weekend to maintain and improve operational capacity.”

The Times reports that French President Emmanuel Macron also sent a frigate and a helicopter to Crete, and two Rafale warplanes, which were later replaced by three new aircraft capable of carrying anti-ship missiles. The Times confirmed that France has also increased its military presence around Cyprus.

The American newspaper reported that German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will visit Athens and Ankara to mediate. The issue will be discussed in Thursday’s meeting of European Union foreign ministers, and Athens is expected to impose sanctions on Turkey as well.

Read more about the tension between Turkey, Greece and France

Other regional powers are also in the discussion

Several times in history, Greece entered into conflicts with Turkey over sovereign rights in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, and it was very close to direct conflict, but this time the debate over natural gas resources under the sea, and this confirms that this special conflict has also attracted Other regional powers.

The Cairo newspaper said that Israel and Egypt were excluded from the natural gas agreement at the bottom of the Mediterranean.

The Times reported that the French energy giant, Total, had signed contracts to extract gas in the region, but due to “unilateral activities in the region of Turkey” it had stopped its operations several times.