Eastern Mediterranean Region Tenses Over Greece And Turkey, France Sends Anti-submarine Frigate

Fregat Auvergne (D654) milik Prancis. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elesia K. Patten)

JAKARTA - France is sending its warships to the Eastern Mediterranean region, demonstrating its military might while underscoring ensuring security and stability in the region, which is strained by Greece's relations with Turkey.

The captain of the Auvergne frigate (D654) Paul Merveilleux de Vignaux, which was dispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean, said the ship with a crew of 150 would remain in the area until January.

In addition to collecting various information, the presence of this warship is to show how France respects international law, especially freedom of navigation.

"This deployment underscores the importance of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as its willingness to contribute to the stabilization of this strategic area," de Vignaux told reporters in the port of Larnaca, the Greek Cypriot administration.

The Auvergne frigate (D654) was officially commissioned three years ago. This warship has advanced sonar equipment and specializes in anti-submarine warfare.

De Vignaux said this was the 12th time the Auvergne Frigate had visited the coast of the Greek Cypriot government, which he said was key to supporting French naval operations in the region.

"There can be no efficient and sustainable naval operation without support and Cyprus is at its center," de Vignaux said.

French frigate Auvergne (D654). (Wikimedia Commons/Titione29)

Prior to the Auvergne, the French carrier Charles de Gaulle had also made repeated trips to the island.

Relations between the Greek and French Cypriot governments have grown closer in recent years. The Greek Cypriot government also allowed French aircraft to use its military airbase in the southeastern corner of the island nation and allowed French ships to use its southern naval port, which is now undergoing upgrades.

France also wants to show its presence to Turkey. Furthermore, French energy company Total and its Italian partner Eni are expected next year to carry out offshore drilling in the waters off the southern coast of Cyprus.

Tensions have recently risen once again due to activity in the region, particularly with Greece and the Greek Cypriot government.

Greece is often embroiled in tensions with neighboring Turkey over issues ranging from competing claims to hydrocarbon resources in the Aegean Sea to the demilitarization of the island.

In addition, Greece's burgeoning arms program is designed to counter Turkey's challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean, where France is among the few EU countries to have offered public support in recent months.

Greece's parliament last month ratified a defense deal reached with France for the purchase of three French-made Belharra frigates, a deal that has been criticized by Turkey.

Turkey, which has a history and uneasy relationship with its NATO neighbor Greece, has criticized the agreement as a threat to "regional peace and stability."

The defense agreement with France includes a mutual assistance clause, which states that the two sides will assist each other "by all appropriate means at their disposal, and if necessary by the use of armed force if they jointly ensure that an armed attack is carried out." occurred in the territory of one of the two.”

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Parliament the deal protected Greece in the troubled Mediterranean.

"In the event of an attack, our country will have the support of the strongest army on our continent," said Mitsotakis.

In September 2020, Mitsotakis launched Greece's most ambitious arms purchase program in decades following a dangerous standoff with Turkey over its hydrocarbon resources and naval influence in waters off their coast.

In contrast to other EU and NATO allies, France strongly supported Greece and the Greek Cypriot government last year when tensions were high, sending warships and fighter jets to the Eastern Mediterranean.

In September, Greece also announced its plans to buy six more Rafale fighters, as tensions continue to flare with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The announcement to improve military ties with France comes after Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar recently stated that second-hand French Rafale jets would not change the balance of power in the region.