UAE joins Greek drills amid tension in the Mediterranean

Greece and the UAE began joint military exercises lat on Monday around Crete at a time of soaring tensions with Turkey.

The Oruc Reis under Turkish naval escort. Picture: AFP

Greece and the United Arab Emirates began joint military exercises late on Monday around Crete, as Turkey’s navy extended its survey mission nearby amid rising tension over energy reserves.

The UAE sent four F-16 fighter jets and Greek frigates and F-16s also joined in, risking an incident similar to one a fortnight ago when a Turkish frigate collided with a Greek ship as Greece and France held joint ­exercises.

Turkey extended the mission of the Oruc Reis to search for gas reserves until Thursday.

The ship entered the area with five Turkish naval vessels, sparking a crisis between Athens and Ankara that is drawing in other powers.

It had been due to end its mission but Ankara said operations would carry on. Turkey said it had held exercises in the Aegean at the weekend to “strengthen, maintain and improve the operational capacity of joint operations between forces”.

France sent a frigate and a helicopter carrier to Crete, along with two Rafale fighter jets, which have been exchanged for newer models equipped with anti-ship missiles.

France is also increasing its presence in nearby Cyprus.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is to visit Athens and Ankara on Tuesday to ­mediate in the crisis.

It will also be discussed informally by EU foreign ministers on Thursday, when Greece is expected to push for EU sanctions on Turkey.

Greece and Turkey have been at odds over the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean for a century and conflict has been close several times. However, a dispute over the ownership of undersea gas reserves has drawn in more ­regional powers, and is over­lapping with other geopolitical issues.

Turkey has been excluded from the eastern Mediterranean deposits by deals involving Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt.

Relations between Cairo and Ankara are toxic after the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s elected president, by coup in 2013.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was his friend and is an ally of his Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Total, the French energy giant, is one of the firms con­tracted to extract the gas, but it suspended operations because Turkish warships have on ­occasion blocked their drilling ­vessels.

The Times