ISTANBUL: Turkey on Thursday extended its controversial Mediterranean gas exploration mission and scheduled new navy drills as its row with Greece and the EU over energy and borders threatened to spiral out of control.
The Turkish navy said it was prolonging the stay of the Oruc Reis research vessel and its accompanying warships in waters claimed by Greece by an extra five days to Tuesday.
It also announced plans to hold “gunnery exercises” at the edge of its territorial waters in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the shoopting drills were not related to Turkey’s fight with Greece over access to newly discovered reserves that could offer Europe a vast new source of energy and cut its dependence on Russia.
But he also defiantly vowed to continue Turkey’s various exploration activities in the east Mediterranean region for “as long as they are needed.”
“We are determined to protect our rights,” the Turkish defense minister said.
The two NATO members have been staging rival war games in a conflict that could imperil Europe’s access to vast new energy deposits and further destabilize war-torn Libya and parts of the Middle East.
An increasingly agitated Germany said ahead of an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on the crisis in Berlin that both countries had to end their naval manuevers if they really wanted a peaceful solution to the dispute.
“The preconditions for (direct negotiations) are that these maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean are stopped,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after completing a failed round of diplomacy in Athens and Ankara this week.
US President Donald Trump also spoke to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday — his first direct involvement in the fast-developing crisis.
The White House said Trump “expressed concern over increased tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey.”
The Greek prime minister said afterwords that Athens was “ready for a significant de-escalation — but on condition that Turkey immediately stops its provocative actions.”
Erdogan has already rejected agreeing to preconditions before talking to Greece.
The Turkish presidency said Erdogan “reminded (Trump) our country was not the one creating instability in the eastern Mediterranean.”
Erdogan “emphasised how Turkey has taken concrete steps which proves it sides with lowering tensions and dialogue,” the presidency said.
Greece’s European support is led by EU military powerhouse France.
French frigates and fighter jets joined the Greek war games — also including Italy and Crete — on Wednesday while Turkey staged smaller ones nearby with a US navy ship.
The French intervention has particularly upset Turkey.
“The time for bullying is over. You have no chance to force (us) to take some actions through bullying,” Akar told France in a televised interview.
“It’s an empty dream to think about preventing or changing the activities of Turkey or the Turkish armed forces,” he said of the French military presence in the region.
Akar also urged Greece to stop hiding behind France or the EU and said: “As Turkey and the Greeks, we need to solve our problems by holding talks... We say we should talk, we say dialogue and want a solution.”
The EU meanwhile appears divided over how to respond.
Greece’s push to sanction Turkey failed to get off the ground at an EU foreign ministers’ video conference on August 14.
Turkey’s position found some support from southern European countries that would be most directly affected should Erdogan retaliate against the bloc.
Greece is expected to try again at the EU meeting in Berlin on Thursday and Friday.
Turkey extends gas exploration in Mediterranean crisis
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Turkey extends gas exploration in Mediterranean crisis
- Turkish navy said it was prolonging the stay of the Oruc Reis research vessel and its accompanying warships
Hamas says ‘new’ Israeli conditions delaying agreement on Gaza ceasefire
“The ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations are continuing in Doha under the mediation of Qatar and Egypt in a serious manner... but the occupation has set new conditions concerning withdrawal (of troops), the ceasefire, prisoners, and the return of displaced people, which has delayed reaching an agreement,” the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.
Syria authorities say 1 million captagon pills torched
- Forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol and around 50 bags of pink captagon pills in the capital’s security compound.
DAMASCUS: Syria’s new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar Assad.
“We found a large quantity of captagon, around one million pills,” said a member of the security forces, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Osama. An AFP journalist saw forces pour fuel over and set fire to a cache of cannabis, the painkiller tramadol and around 50 bags of pink captagon pills in the capital’s security compound.
UK to host Israel-Palestine peace summit
- PM Starmer drawing on experience working on Northern Ireland peace process
- G7 fund to unlock financing for reconciliation projects
LONDON: The UK will host an international summit early next year aimed at bringing long-term peace to Israel and Palestine, The Independent reported.
The event will launch the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, which is backed by the Alliance for Middle East Peace, containing more than 160 organizations engaged in peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who worked on the Northern Ireland peace process, ordered Foreign Secretary David Lammy to begin work on hosting the summit.
The fund being unlocked alongside the summit pools money from G7 countries to build “an environment conducive to peacemaking.” The US opened the fund with a $250 million donation in 2020.
As part of peacebuilding efforts, the fund supports projects “to help build the foundation for peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians and for a sustainable two-state solution.”
It also supports reconciliation between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel, as well as the development of the Palestinian private sector in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Young Israelis and Palestinians will meet and work together during internships in G7 countries as part of the scheme.
Former Labour Shadow Middle East Minister Wayne David and ex-Conservative Middle East Minister Alistair Burt said the fund is vital in bringing an end to the conflict.
In a joint piece for The Independent, they said: “The prime minister’s pledge reflects growing global momentum to support peacebuilding efforts from the ground up, ensuring that the voices of those who have long worked for equality, security and dignity for all are not only heard, but are actively shaping the societal and political conditions that real conflict resolution will require.
“Starmer’s announcement that the foreign secretary will host an inaugural meeting in London to support peacebuilders is a vital first step … This meeting will help to solidify the UK’s role as a leader in shaping the future of the region.”
The fund is modeled on the International Fund for Ireland, which spurred peacebuilding efforts in the lead-up to the 1999 Good Friday Agreement. Starmer is drawing inspiration from his work in Northern Ireland to shape the scheme.
He served as human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board from 2003-2007, monitoring the service’s compliance with human rights law introduced through the Good Friday Agreement.
David and Burt said the UK is “a natural convener” for the new scheme, adding: “That role is needed now more than ever.”
They said: “The British government is in a good position to do this for three reasons: Firstly, the very public reaching out to diplomatic partners, and joint ministerial visits, emphasises the government turning a page on its key relationships.
“Secondly, Britain retains a significant influence in the Middle East, often bridging across those who may have differences with each other. And, thirdly, there is the experience of Northern Ireland.
“Because of his personal and professional engagement with Northern Ireland, Keir Starmer is fully aware of the important role civil society has played in helping to lay the foundations for peace.”
Erdogan announces plans to open Turkish consulate in Aleppo
- Erdogan also issued a stern warning to Kurdish militants in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that Turkiye will soon open a consulate in Syria's Aleppo.
Erdogan also issued a stern warning to Kurdish militants in Syria, stating they must either "lay down their weapons or be buried in Syrian lands with their weapons."
The remarks underscore Turkiye's firm stance on combating Kurdish groups it views as a threat to its national security.
Turkish military kills 21 Kurdish militants in northern Syria and Iraq, ministry says
- Turkiye regards the YPG, the leading force within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the PKK and similarly classifies it as a terrorist group
ANKARA: The Turkish military killed 21 Kurdish militants in northern Syria and Iraq, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the ministry reported that 20 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Syrian Kurdish YPG militants, who were preparing to launch an attack, were killed in northern Syria, while one militant was killed in northern Iraq.
“Our operations will continue effectively and resolutely,” the ministry added.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the European Union, and the United States, began its armed insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
Turkiye regards the YPG, the leading force within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the PKK and similarly classifies it as a terrorist group.
Following the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier this month, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the YPG must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria’s future.
The operations on Wednesday come amid ongoing hostilities in northeastern Syria between Turkiye-backed Syrian factions and the YPG.
Ankara routinely conducts cross-border airstrikes and military operations targeting the PKK, which maintains bases in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq.
