France will send military to the Eastern Mediterranean. The country wants to strengthen its presence in the region to protect Greece from the aggressive actions of Turkey, reports Reuters.
We are talking about two Rafale fighters and a frigate Lafayette. According to sources close to Paris, it was the decision of the French President Emmanuel Macron — he is concerned about the determination of Turkey to drill the shelf “unilaterally”.
It is noted that France wants to ensure that the region’s freedom of movement and security of Maritime navigation and the international rule of law.
In early June, the Turkish government decided to “protect the interests of the state” on the continental shelf of Cyprus: Ankara wants to continue the exploration “in spite of the hostile actions of some States”.
Coast in the Eastern Mediterranean — a source of tension between the countries-EU members Cyprus and Greece, on the one hand, and Turkey on the other. The latter has repeatedly called for the joint development of deposits of Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots, Ankara has made cooperation with Moscow. In the debate on the division of energy also involved Egypt and Israel.
Contradictions arose in 1974, when Cyprus was a coup with the aim of annexing the island to Greece. Then Turkey sent troops to the North of Cyprus and in the occupied territories declared Cyprus Turkish federated state, later renamed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The rest of the island is now under the control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus.
