Naval Diplomacy Heats Up In The Mediterranean

Turkish actions in the Mediterranean have caused European countries and the US to increasingly take notice. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to the Dominican Republic this week to speak to his Turkish counterpart, who happened to be there, to see if he could appease Turkey’s ambitions at sea. Ankara said it would “not bow down to colonialists” in the Eastern Mediterranean, an apparent jibe at European countries and the US.

At the same time, the American warship USS Hershel Woody Williams, a 230-meter floating base for operations, arrived in Crete as part of a mission to look in on the tensions between the Greeks and Turks. Turkey claims it is merely conducting “research” at sea and doing surveys as part of an agreement with the embattled Libyan government in Tripoli. Ankara signed a deal with Tripoli last November that resulted in Turkey recruiting Syrian mercenaries to prop up the failing Libyan government in Tripoli.

Turkish drones and ships deployed to Libya to take part in the civil war, and soon Egypt, which backs the rival Libyan government in Benghazi, was threatening Turkey and Tripoli. Turkey’s actions have led to a domino effect. Greece, Israel and Cyprus signed a pipeline deal in January that had been in the works for years. Greece and Egypt recently signed a deal regarding their claims to the sea. -Full Report 

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