On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Turkey to "put an end to the cycle of appeasement and provocation" in the eastern Mediterranean, as Ankara recently sent an exploration ship to search for natural gas threatening to escalate tension again with Greece.

"As new Turkish exploration operations for gas have already taken place in the disputed marine areas in the eastern Mediterranean, this would be a major setback for de-escalation efforts," said Maas, who is visiting Greece and Cyprus on Tuesday, to discuss this issue.

Mas urged Turkey to remain open to talks and not to resume gas exploration in the disputed maritime areas.

On Monday, a Turkish ship sailed to conduct seismic surveys in the eastern Mediterranean, prompting Greece to demand new sanctions from the European Union on Ankara in a dispute over offshore exploration rights.

France expressed its concern after the ship began its voyage, and said that Turkey must fulfill the commitments it has made regarding this conflict, refrain from any new provocations and show goodwill.

The Greek Foreign Ministry described the Turkish ship’s move as a “major escalation” and a “direct threat to peace in the region,” while Turkey accused Athens of stoking tension.

Last month, Turkey withdrew the same ship from disputed waters "to give diplomacy a chance" before a European Union summit.

Source: Agencies

By:Nadeemy Haded