In a new escalation, Turkey announces a seismic survey in eastern Mediterranean

The maritime notification indicated that two other ships, Ataman and Genghis Khan, in addition to Uruk Reis, will continue to operate in an area that includes the south of the Greek island of Kastelorizo, from Monday until October 22.

And there is a dispute between the two countries over overlapping demands for sovereignty over gas and oil resources in the region, and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Greece met last week and agreed to hold bilateral talks on the differences.

It is noteworthy that Turkey had withdrawn the Uruk Reis from the disputed waters "to give diplomacy a chance" before an EU summit meeting.

While the European Union confirmed after the summit that it might punish Turkey if it continued its operations in the region, a move that Ankara said would lead to further tension in relations between Turkey and the European Union.

The dispute escalated on August 10, when Turkey sent a ship to explore natural gas and warships to waters contested by Greece, and the tension culminated in late August, when the two countries held parallel military exercises.

T/S

ANHA