BERLIN: Germany on Tuesday called on Turkey to end a “cycle of detente and provocation” in the Mediterranean, after Ankara’s decision to redeploy a research ship at the center of tensions with Greece over energy and maritime rights.
“If there should be renewed Turkish gas exploration in the more controversial sea areas in the eastern Mediterranean, this would be a serious setback for efforts to de-escalate,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said ahead of a trip to Cyprus and Greece.
“Ankara must end the cycle of detente and provocation if the government is interested in talks,” said Maas, whose country heads the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Turkey on Monday raised tensions with its neighbors after it said it would return the seismic research vessel, Oruc Reis, into the eastern Mediterranean.
The ship triggered diplomatic tensions and rival naval maneuvers in August when it searched for oil and gas deposits, before Turkey pulled it back to shore last month.
Maas said he assured EU partners Greece and Cyprus had Germany’s “full solidarity” and urged Turkey to ensure that dialogue with Greece was not thwarted by “unilateral measures.”
Discussions on the escalating situation could take place at the EU summit starting Thursday this week.
Berlin warns Turkey against ‘provocation’ in the eastern Mediterranean
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Berlin warns Turkey against ‘provocation’ in the eastern Mediterranean
- Turkey to redeploy its seismic research vessel, Oruc Reis, into the disputed eastern Mediterranean
- ‘Ankara must end the cycle of detente and provocation if the government is interested in talks’
Hamas says path for Gaza must begin with end to ‘aggression’
- Trump’s board met for its inaugural session in Washington on Thursday, with a number of countries pledging money and personnel to rebuild the Palestinian territory
GAZA CITY: Discussions on Gaza’s future must begin with a total halt to Israeli “aggression,” Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas said after US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace met for the first time.
“Any political process or any arrangement under discussion concerning the Gaza Strip and the future of our Palestinian people must start with the total halt of aggression, the lifting of the blockade, and the guarantee of our people’s legitimate national rights, first and foremost their right to freedom and self-determination,” Hamas said in a statement Thursday.
Trump’s board met for its inaugural session in Washington on Thursday, with a number of countries pledging money and personnel to rebuild the Palestinian territory, more than four months into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted however that Hamas must disarm before any reconstruction begins.
“We agreed with our ally the US that there will be no reconstruction of Gaza before the demilitarization of Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli leader did not attend the Washington meeting but was represented by his foreign minister Gideon Saar.
Trump said several countries, mostly in the Gulf, had pledged more than seven billion dollars to rebuild the territory.
Muslim-majority Indonesia will take a deputy commander role in a nascent International Stabilization Force, the unit’s American chief Major General Jasper Jeffers said.
Trump, whose plan for Gaza was endorsed by the UN Security Council in November, also said five countries had committed to providing troops, including Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania.
