Akar ups the ante, claiming Turkey controls the Aegean

The contention on Friday by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar that the seas surrounding Turkey, including the Aegean Sea, lie within its territorial waters was interpreted in Athens as another instance of Ankara's bid to revise the status quo in the region. 

"We control the seas and the seabed... the Black Sea, the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean, which also includes Cyprus," Akar reportedly said, adding that "these areas lie within our sphere of interest… we have the responsibility of ensuring peace and calm." He was speaking at a military facility in Turkey. 

Observers in Greece noted the timing of his remarks, saying it was no coincidence that they were made just two days after the trilateral summit in Jerusalem between Greece, Cyprus and Israel with the participation of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

To Ankara, the summit is part of what it...