Erdogan angry: Threatening Open Greece

Turkey will not tolerate illegal acts in Aegean and Mediterranean regions, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Speaking after a visit to the Black Sea province of Giresun, Erdogan made it clear that Turkey would not allow <x0-piraterine or banditism” on these seas, referring to recent Greek movements that further escalated tensions heated between the two countries over their maritime borders.

“No one can limit Turkey, which has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean. We are determined to protect the maritime rights of our citizens and residents of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),” said Erdogan.

His latest crackdown on Greece came a day after reports to the media that Athens is sending military personnel and supplies to the island of Kastelorizo? (Megist-Meis), a legally demilitarized island that stretches two kilometers off the Turkish coast.

The movement provoked the ire of Turkish politicians, who criticised him as provocative and illegal. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said this is the latest indicator of Greece's lawlessness and its true goals in the Eastern Mediterranean. Making statements similar to Erdogan, as did Justice and Development Party ( Justice AK party Omer Celik named Greece's attempt to arm “sult as a new example of piracy”.

“It is folly on the part to direct weapons from the Turkish coast; it has turned into representatives of pirated policies in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas,” said Celik. Since the discovery of considerable gas reserves in the region a decade ago, tensions between the two countries have come growing. The gap between Athens and Ankara expanded with Turkey's decision to boost energy research activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Turkish government rejects Greece's claim for exclusive rights, arguing that the islands should not be included in calculating maritime borders among states.