Turkish Foreign Ministry tweets statement outlining Greece’s ‘escalatory steps’

With the Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel  remaining in Greece’s continental shelf, the Turkish Foreign Ministry tweeted a statement on Tuesday with a timeline of what it describes as Greek escalations in the region.

The tweet, which tagged the US State Department, the European External Action Service, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, European Council President  Charles Michel and the European Council, highlighted the “Escalatory Steps of Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea since 12 September 2020.”

It said that after the Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel returned to the port of Antalya on September 12 for routine maintenance and re-supply operations, it has now returned along with the naval assets that accompanied it for self-defense purposes, to its routine schedule of operations.

It said that Greece has since September not refrained from militarizing the eastern Aegean and outlined a series of Greek moves to that effect – “in violation of the demilitarized status of the Eastern Aegean islands.”

After listing these events, it concludes that “it is now evident that Greece has been the party to escalate the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean. These developments point to the ulterior motives of Greece on the eve of exploratory talks.”