US criticized Turkey after survey ship sent near Greece
Washington criticized Ankara on Tuesday for its decision to send once again a Turkish survey ship into contested waters with Greece. Indeed, State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus declared that the United States deplores Turkey’s October 11 announcement of renewed Turkish survey activity in areas over which Greece asserts jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In fact, and after the removal of the ship from disputed waters to allow diplomacy before an EU summit in recent days, where sanctions against Turkey were discussed, the vessel was dispatched next to a Greek island on Monday. At the EU summit, it was reported that sanctions could be imposed if Turkey continued operations in the region as soon as December.
Otherwise, Greece related the recent decision to dispatch the Turkish ship near to Kastellorizo, which is a Greek island near the Turkish coast, was a major escalation and a direct threat to peace in the region.
Ortagus declared that Turkey’s declaration: unilaterally raises tensions in the region and deliberately complicates the resumption of crucial exploratory talks between our NATO Allies Greece and Turkey, adding that Coercion, threats, intimidation, and military activity will not resolve tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. We urge Turkey to end this calculated provocation and immediately begin exploratory talks with Greece.
She also said in the US diatribe that unilateral actions would not build trust and not produce enduring solutions.
