Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in a televised interview Saturday that Greece’s statement, that they would extend their sea border to 12 miles, would be a reason for war. “We won’t allow Greece to extend their sea border from 6 miles to 12.”
In the interview on the Turkish TV channel A Haber, he said that Greece can move within their rightful areas. “However, they cannot increase their border to 12 miles in the Aegean.”
Stating that some countries want to hold Turkey responsible for the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, he said that Turkey has talked with many European countries in the face of sanction threats of the European Union. “They agree that we are in the right,” he said referring to the European countries.
The Turkish government disputes Greece’s claim to exclusive rights in the waters where Turkey’s research vessel is working, arguing that islands should not be included in calculating sea boundaries between countries.
Ankara has also consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration's unilateral drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to the natural resources in the area.
