Turkey prevented nine Greek and Cypriot naval units from entering the country’s continental shelf. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a diplomacy conference on Monday, a day before a new Turkish drillship is set to leave the Mediterranean port of Mersin.
It was not clear where or when the apparent incident took place.
Simultaneously, Cavusoglu reiterated his country’s demand that Greece demilitarizes its Aegean islands off the Turkish coast.
“We will continue to raise this issue which is fundamental to the security of our country,” he said.
“In the Aegean, we want any interrelated problems to be dealt with in a comprehensive manner,” he said while criticizing Greece for lacking a problem-solving culture.
Cavusoglu’s comments came as Tuesday’s departure of the Abdulhamid Han drilling vessel for the Eastern Mediterranean has prompted discussions about the range of escalation that Ankara may choose in August.
