Turkey will not tolerate illegal actions in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday.
Speaking at an event after visiting the Black Sea province of Giresun, Erdoğan said Turkey would not allow "piracy or banditry" in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, referring to the latest moves by Greece that further escalated the tensions between the two countries over maritime boundaries.
"No one can confine Turkey, which has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, to the shores of Antalya. We are determined to defend the maritime rights of our citizens and the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)," Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan’s latest lash out at Greece came a day after reports said Athens was sending military personnel and supplies to the island of Kastellorizo (Megisti-Meis), a legally demilitarized island that lies 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Turkish shore.
The move drew ire from Turkish politicians, who criticized it as a provocative and illegal action. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy on Sunday said the move was the latest indicator of Greece’s lawlessness and its true intentions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Making similar statements to Erdoğan, Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik earlier on Monday also called Athens’ latest moves as piracy.
"Greece’s attempt to arm the island of Kastellorizo is a new example of piracy. It is foolish of Greece to point guns at Turkey’s shores and Greece has become the representative of pirate policies in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas," Çelik said.
Since the discovery of significant gas reserves in the region a decade ago, countries have been engaged in renewed disputes over maritime borders, while international law presents few remedies. The deepening rift between Athens and Ankara widened with Turkey’s decision to enhance energy exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Turkish government disputes Greece’s claim to exclusive rights, arguing that islands should not be included in calculating sea boundaries between countries.
Ankara criticizes Greece for its "maximalist" position, as it claims that the tiny island of Kastellorizo, which is about 580 kilometers away from the Greek mainland, should have a 40,000-square-kilometer (15,444-square-mile) continental shelf area, which is almost half of Turkey's Gulf of Antalya.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan also warned Athens not to rely on France’s backing in the dispute.
"Those who get carried away with support from former colonial countries should study history again," he said.
Shortly after the president’s remarks, Turkey announced the issue of a new navigational telex (Navtex) to extend the energy exploration activities of the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel in the Eastern Mediterranean until Sept. 12.