Cyprus–Turkey maritime zones dispute

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou has confirmed Greece's commitment in pursuing a fair and viable solution to the Cyprus problem in a meeting with the island's outgoing President Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Mansion Wednesday.

Turkey has criticized Greece for escalating tension in the Aegean Sea by provocative flights close to the Turkish coast, reiterating Ankara's unchanged position for a peaceful resolution to pending problems between the two neighbors.

Just four days before scheduled Greek-Turkish exploratory talks, Ankara has in essence threatened Athens and Nicosia with a possible military clash in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Blasting a Greek move on its maritime territory as "provocative," Turkey on Sept. 20 issued a counter naval alert for its continental shelf area in the Aegean.

Turkey will persevere its rights in the eastern Mediterranean and will continue its exploration activities for the hydrocarbon resources in the area, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 2.

Turkey announced a new NAVTEX in the Aegean Sea's international waters in retaliation for Greece's recent NAVTEX announcement that violated the two countries' bilateral agreements.

«As two neighbors, we are destined to live in the same geography. Therefore, we should define our relationship with cooperation rather than conflict. It is in our hands to determine our destiny and the way forward,» Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu declared on the eve of his talks today with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

A provocative attempt by Greece of allowing a French research vessel accompanied by a Greek frigate to conduct scientific studies in the Turkish continental shelf was foiled by the Turkish navy last week.

It is a very important development that Egypt has made a tender on hydrocarbon exploration in the eastern Mediterranean respecting Turkey's continental shelf limits, the Turkish national defense minister said on March 6.

Greece & Egypt signed a deal in August 2020 after they along with France, the UAE & Cyprus condemned Turkey’s provocative actions at sea in May