On Monday, Spokesman of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Agnes von der Muhll, voiced her country's concern over Turkey's decision to redeploy a research ship Oruc Reis amid a regional dispute with Greece over gas exploration activities.
In a statement, the spokesman said that Turkey must honor its commitments in the dispute, and refrain from provocative practices and show good intentions.
A Turkish ship sailed, this morning, to carry out seismic surveys in the eastern Mediterranean, prompting Greece to issue a furious new demand for European Union sanctions on Ankara in a row over offshore exploration rights.
On its part, Greece's foreign ministry described the new move as a major escalation and a direct threat to peace in the region.
[caption id="attachment_158190" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Oruc Reis ship[/caption]
Earlier last month, Ankara withdrew the ship from disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean to give room for diplomacy before an EU summit at which Cyprus called for sanctions against Turkey.
"Turkey has proven it lacks credibility. All those who believed Turkey meant all it said before the European summit of Oct. 1-2 now stand corrected," Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Monday.
Relations between Greece and Turkey are complicated by a range of disputes, from jurisdiction in the Mediterranean to ethnically split Cyprus.
Follow the latest news on Google News
