France to increase military presence in Eastern Mediterranean
French and Greek military navy vessels seen in formation during a military exercise (undated image). Image Credit: Greek Ministry of Defence.
On Wednesday, the French President announced that the country will increase its presence in East Mediterranean, amid an escalation tensions between Greece and Turkey, over oil and gas exploration in the disputed zone.
Mr. Macron decided to temporarily increase its military presence in Eastern Mediterranean, after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsokatis.
On Thursday, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsokatis thanked President Macron, for France’s promise to bolster its military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Greek Prime Minister referred Macron in a tweet as a ‘true friend of Greece and also a fervent protector of European values and international law.’
The French President called on Turkey to cease oil and gas exploration, ‘in order to allow a peaceful dialogue’ between Greece and Turkey.
Also on Thursday, French Armed Forces Ministry has promised to send two Rafale fighter jets and the frigate Lafayette to the area. On the same day, French forces also conducted military training exercises with Greek forces off the coast of Crete, as a sign of French support to Greece.
Recently, Greek forces were on alert after the Turkish vessel Oruc Reis entered the disputed waters to start seismic surveys. Read more about it here and the tension between Greece and Turkey in the following links:
https://whatnownews24.com/2020/08/10/turkish-survey-ship-puts-greece-on-alert/
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