Mediterranean Sea

Turkey's seismic exploration vessel Oruc Reis returned to port on Monday from disputed Mediterranean waters, less than two weeks before a European Union summit where the bloc will evaluate possible sanctions against Ankara.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias called on Germany to "set a clear example" in the European Union and halt its scheduled sale of weapons to Turkey amid increased tensions in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean over energy resources and territorial claims.

Istanbul is witnessing a rise in the number of jellyfish on its shores, especially in the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Aegean Sea to the Marmara Sea, due to strong winds drawing ocean currents.

"There is a high concentration of jellyfish off Arnavutköy and Sarayburnu," said Melek İşinibilir Okyar, an academic from Istanbul University.

They were related to peoples across the Mediterranean

Turkey has responded to all interventions on its energy exploration ship in the Eastern Mediterranean and will continue to do so in the future, the Turkish defense minister said on Aug. 14. 

The French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces off the southern island of Crete on Thursday, defence sources said, as tension persisted with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean.

The French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces off the southern island of Crete on Thursday, defence sources said, as tension persisted with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean.

Israel has expressed its solidarity with Greece amid a sharp increase in tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

"Israel is cautiously monitoring the increase in tension in the Eastern Mediterranean," the country's embassy in Athens said in a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday morning.

Greece opened fire at a boat carrying civilians off the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea, said the Turkish Coast Guard Command on Aug. 11. 

In a statement, the command said two Turkish and one Syrian nationals were injured and the boat sank due to the attack.

It said the attack took place 0040GMT in the Greek waters, 7.2 nautical miles from Turkey's Mugla province.

Italian and Turkish submarines conducted a joint maritime drill in the Mediterranean, said Turkey's Defense Ministry on June 15. 

In a tweet, the ministry said the two navies have the most effective submarine force in the Mediterranean Sea and will continue to improve the interoperability with maritime training.