In the approval of the illegal "Memorandum of Understanding", which aims - among other things - to develop cooperation between Turkey and Libya in the energy sector, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to insist on violating international law and having in mind - according to some - to start searching for hydrocarbons in Greece's Exclusive Economic Zone to the south of Crete.
As it became known, this is a bill that will enter into force after receiving the approval of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish parliament.
This development shows the intention of Erdoğan, at least until the crucial presidential elections in May, to further intensify the confrontation with Greece, and in general, the USA and the EU, which have taken a clear position against the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum.
It should be noted that recently a Libyan court decided to suspend the Tripoli-Ankara agreement. This move will cause a new talking point in Turkey's discussions with Egypt for the normalisation of relations between them, which the Turkish president is ardently seeking.
At the same time, the representative of the Turkish presidency, İbrahim Kalın, referred to the issue of receiving F-16s from the USA, as well as the delivery of F-35s to Greece, with new statements.
An obviously irritated Kalın stated that Ankara is seeking to procure F-16 from the US, but without the terms and conditions set by the US Congress, after the situation that has been shaped by Turkey's veto on Sweden's accession to NATO.
"We see the F-16 program as a valuable alternative to enhancing our air power. If the US imposes conditions and at the same time responds positively to Greece's request for the F-35s, they lose their neutrality," he said, stressing that Ankara will not accept American conditions.
"Everything depends on what conditions they will bring, but we do not want to terminate the F-16 program. And if the F-16 program depends on Sweden and Finland joining NATO, they'd be better off not putting it on their agenda at all," the spokesperson continued.
"If this issue gets stuck in Congress, we will make a similar assessment," Kalın concluded.
READ MORE: Turkish media targets Georgiadis for saying Greek Rafale's "will destroy" Turkey's Air Force.
