"Greece cannot extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles to the south of Crete, because Gavdos is a... Turkish island," defiantly asserted retired Vice Admiral Erdoğan Karakuş when speaking on a CNN TÜRK show.
"With the 12 miles, especially in the south of Crete, they are already saying: 'And what will happen to the 12 miles in the west and in the south?'
"No, it is not possible, because Gavdos, which is here, is our island.
"According to the agreements, it is our island. This is something they know well," he concluded.
Previously, he had estimated that any minor conflict with Greece would develop into a "total war" between the two countries, pointing out the importance of the "air superiority " that Turkey should have, in order to inflict serious losses.
Speaking on the same show, the columnist of the pro -government newspaper Milliyet, Özay Şendir, characterised as the "biggest challenge" the possible extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles south of Crete.
"This issue with the 12-mile extension to Crete will be Greece 's biggest challenge to Turkey. And the price for that will be heavy. It is a situation that Turkey cannot accept," he said, stressing that Turkey should react to such a development.
He also expressed his concern about the possibility of an agreement between Greece and Libya, requesting - in this case - that Ankara send drilling rigs to the region.
"Greece is pushing hard and saying 'Libya should make an agreement with us''. We need to see that matter immediately. What are we going to do? We will probably see the terms with the Exclusive Economic Zone agreement and immediately send our drilling rigs there," he said.
"If indeed the US loses its balance and pressures the Libyan government to agree with Greece, Turkey's response will be clear. We agreed earlier with them and we will say 'we are coming and starting the research','' Şendir added.
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