The German government has criticized Turkey, which announced a seismic survey to explore for natural gas, south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo.
On Monday, a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry said that Ankara was deteriorating its relations with the European Union. The Germans deemed new seismic surveys at this time to be wrong, adding that the German government is calling on Turkey and Greece to solve their problems through dialogue.
A slight calm prevailed in relations between Ankara and Athens at the end of July. This was following mediation by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as the two NATO members agreed to open dialogue on energy issues in the eastern Mediterranean.
Yet, on Monday, Turkey kicked off naval exercises to the east and south of the Greek islands of Rhodes, and Kastellorizo. It also announced seismic research for oil and gas exploration in the same area, projecting its military might, amid heightened territorial tussles in the eastern Mediterranean.