Germany appeals for calm as Turkish, Greek navies run drills in EastMed - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Diego Cupolo

Diego Cupolo

Aug 26, 2020

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and German Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas (L) hold a joint press conference following their meeting at the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara on August 25, 2020. - The German Foreign minister warned on August 25 that Turkey's standoff with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean was at a "very critical" juncture but stressed that both sides appeared ready to talk. A crisis has been brewing in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is at odds with Greec — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (L) hold a joint press conference following their meeting at the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara on Aug. 25, 2020. — ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

ISTANBUL — A number of naval drills are underway in the eastern Mediterranean as Turkish and Greek leaders vowed to defend their overlapping territorial claims in the region Wednesday.

Speaking at an event commemorating the anniversary of the 1071 Seljuk victory over Byzantine armies, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday the nation would protect its claims in the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas without “any concessions.”

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