Turkish Navy

Defense authorities in Greece on Tuesday refuted reports in the Turkish media suggesting that the country had sent ships to Imia that were preventing Greek vessels from approaching the islets that brought the two neighbors to the brink of war in January 1996.

Turkey issued a navigational telex (NAVTEX) to announce that it is reserving an area surrounding the territorial waters of the small Greek island of Kastelorizo in the southeastern Aegean on October 31, for a search and rescue exercise.

According to the marine advisory, the Turkish Navy will block the area to marine traffic for four hours, starting at 11 p.m.

Ankara amped up tensions with Athens on Wednesday, warning that it will not allow anyone to interfere with the activities of its seismographic research vessel in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey plans to build a naval base in the occupied north of Cyprus, Yeni Safak newspaper said on Tuesday.

The paper, which is closely affiliated to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that the Turkish Navy has already submitted a request to the Foreign Ministry to begin procedures to find an "appropriate" spot on the island to build the base.

Romanian Naval Forces will host military ships of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) that will stay in the Constanţa Military Harbor during 28-31 July.

Ankara is beefing up security in the Aegean to "prevent possible provocative actions" from Greece, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu reported on Thursday.

According to the news agency, the Turkish Navy has ordered one frigate and two gunboats to be on alert around the clock, along with a special underwater forces team (SAT).

Turkey is stoking tension again in Cyprus by sending surveying vessel Barbaros toward Nicosia's exclusive economic zone on Monday, according to reports in the Cypriot press, as Athens calls on Ankara to return to the path of sensibility.

The Council of the EU will decide, at the last possible moment, whether the key meeting for the Bulgarian presidency with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Varna will take place. This was made clear by the statement of European Council President Donald Tusk, quoted by BTA.

Cyprus accused Turkey on Friday of threatening to use force against a drillship chartered by Italy's Eni, in a standoff over hydrocarbons rights in the eastern Mediterranean. 

Turkish warships harassed the surveying vessel of oil company Eni and threatened to sink it on Friday in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus, with the Italian ship forced to make the necessary maneuvers so as to avoid a collision, according to Skai radio that cited Cypriot news reports.