Following the presentation yesterday by the Turkish Ministry of Defense versions The pro-government press went further today about the Kasos crisis and Turkey's behavior towards Greece and the Italian ship. It claims that Greece has asked Turkey for permission to lay cables in certain areasthereby recognizing “Turkish jurisdiction” in the Eastern Mediterranean.
What Hurriyet writes
Under the heading “A Step Away from Athens: 'It's Yours' / The Historic Permit Ankara Issued to Athens During the Aegean Crisis” The front page of the pro-government newspaper Hurriyet today claims that Italian and Greek ships receive permission from Turkey to lay cables on the seabed.
Tensions in the Aegean Sea ended after Greece asked Turkey for permission. Greece's request means that it has recognized Turkey's maritime jurisdiction zones, Hurriyet concludes.
In particular, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reports that “short-term tensions with Greece in the Aegean Sea led to a historic step. Greek authorities have asked Ankara for permission for the cable-laying vessel to operate. The historic request for permission was commented on as Greece's recognition of maritime jurisdiction zones, adding that “Although relations between Turkey and Greece have recently entered a process of normalization, there was brief tension between the two countries in the southern Aegean this week.. Greek ships and an Italian-flagged vessel attempted to enter Turkey's maritime jurisdiction without permission as part of a project to lay a submarine cable between Crete and the Dniester Islands. Ankara responded to Athens' move by sending five warships to the area. In this way, they did not allow these ships to enter the areas of Turkish maritime jurisdiction.”
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Turkish media have presented the news with triumph and Ankara’s unquestioned sovereignty, claiming that Greece has asked for permission to lay cables in the eastern Mediterranean, which is interpreted as recognition of Turkish jurisdiction. Pro-government rhetoric describes the Turkish naval presence as an unquestioning imposition.
So after Ankara dug its heels in, according to Hurriyet, which quoted the Turkish Defense Ministry yesterday, “Greek authorities have asked Ankara for permission for the vessel to operate the cable laying operation. This historic request for permission was interpreted as Greece's recognition of the maritime jurisdiction zones established by Turkey's 2019 agreement with Libya. This step by Athens, which respects Turkish maritime jurisdiction zones, prevented the escalation of the crisis between the two countries.”
“We gave the Greeks permission – they recognized our continental shelf”
At the same time, another nationalist pro-government (considered close to state organs) newspaper, Turkiege, also published a front-page report claiming – in contrast to Hurriyet that Greece had taken a historic step – that Greece had taken a step backwards.
“Greece, which was laying cables at sea with an Italian vessel in Turkey's maritime jurisdiction, took a step back when it discovered our fleet in front of it. Athens, which asked Ankara for permission to carry out the work, was forced to recognize our continental shelf.”
According to Turkie, which also cites the Turkish Ministry of Defense and the version of the incident in Kasos presented yesterday, “Greece, which has been trying hard to get the world to accept its claim that the Aegean Sea has a 12-mile continental shelf, is faced with an unexpected situation in the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece, which wanted to illegally cooperate with Italy in Turkey's maritime jurisdiction, was forced to seek permission from Ankara when it was confronted by the Turkish navy. Having received permission, Athens, which does not recognize Turkey’s maritime jurisdiction zones and acts in violation of international laws in the Aegean Sea, was forced to recognize Turkey’s maritime jurisdiction zone.”
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