She is ready for any surprises Athenawhile Tripoli government issues threats describing Sanko Swift’s exploration on behalf of the ExxonMobil/Helleniq Energy joint venture in southwestern Crete as a violation of Libyan rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Considering that these statements came from Foreign Minister Najla El-Mangush, it is now quite clear in Athens that, at least in the interim government of Tripoli – under the openly pro-Turkophile Abdul Hamid Dbeib – the concept of Ankara What are Greece’s rights to Eastern Mediterranean. In short, the Dbeiba government is acting as Ankara’s partner. The fact, of course, that this is a government that everyone recognizes (even those who openly criticize the Turkish-Libyan memorandum and condemn Dbeiba for delaying the announcement and organization of the elections) creates certain diplomatic obstacles for Athens, which it tries to overcome with the help of its allies.

The main calculation of Athens is that the government of Tripoli will take advantage of UN in protest against the investigations in southern Crete. Providing coordinates to the UN would be a previous step before the possibility of licensing sections of the so-called Libyan EEZ under an irregular Turkish-Libyan memorandum. In this case, Athens is ready to deal with the presence in the south of Crete of the research vessel of the Turkish Oil Company (TRAO), which will certainly be accompanied by warships.

Athens estimates that Dbeiba’s government will appeal to the UN to protest against Greek investigations in southern Crete.

Turkey is annoyed by the fact that there are Western powers in the Eastern Mediterranean region that do not share its point of view. Turks were also concerned that in previous days the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, currently in the Eastern Mediterranean, has been conducting exercises with the armed forces of the countries of the wider region. The latest example is the large-scale exercise conducted by Rafal-M aircraft from an aircraft carrier together with Israeli Air Force fighters off the coast of Israel.

“We will not allow those who support Greece without any restrictions to carry out its provocative actions that disturb us in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday in another rhetorical crescendo. He added: “I said this a while ago, we are together in NATO – well, yes, but as long as we are together in NATO, and you are arming the Greek islands with weapons and aircraft, we still have not been able to solve the problem of F. -16 issue so far now! We could not solve it, although we gave money.”