Turkey warns of “serious consequences” for Greece if it extends its territorial waters near Crete

4 Jan. () –

The Turkish authorities have warned this Wednesday that there will be “serious consequences” for Greece if it extends its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles (about 22 kilometers) around the island of Crete.

The spokesman for the Turkish Presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, has warned that “Turkey will not accept any type of extension of this type, not even if it is a single mile”, for which he has indicated that if Athens proceeds to make such a decision, “There will be a forceful response.”

His comments are in line with statements made in recent days by the Turkish Foreign and Defense ministers, who have accused Greece of undermining any dialogue to find a solution to the disputes between the two countries in the eastern Mediterranean.

This week, the Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, has pointed out that it is the Greek authorities who “deliberately provoke an increase in tension to divert the attention of public opinion from the problems that the country is going through internally”, according to has picked up the Anatolia news agency.

However, Kalin has not entered into an assessment of whether such an expansion of the territorial waters could finally lead to a military intervention by Turkey or to an open war between the two countries, whose relationship has once again worsened considerably.