Attempts to de-escalate in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean
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Roshan Amiri
- . November 5, 2021
- . Update: August 18, 2020 6:23 pm
Turkey–It is the banana conflict between Syrian refugees and Turkey. It sounds like the theme of a humorous sketch or a joke, but it happened. Two viral videos triggered an unprecedented crisis between the Syrian population in Istanbul and the Turkish officials.
It all started with a fight in the market when a middle-aged Turkey addressed the refugees: “I see the Syrians in the bazaar buying kilos of bananas, and I can’t afford them.” However, the Syrians responded with another video on TikTok, where they eat banana after banana and make fun of the Turks. They never did. Eleven of them got an expulsion order, and now they risk ending up in Syria, and maybe in the hands Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo.
Read more : Libya’s NOC welcomes US sanctions on three traffickers operating between Libya and Malta
A statement from the US State Department affirms that Cavusoglu and Pompeo have discussed issues of common concern, including reducing tensions between regional actors in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is conducting energy research to the detriment of the territorial sovereignty of other countries. Cavusoglu said following the meeting that he also assessed the situation in Libya, agreeing to continue consultations with experts.
Tensions increased in the region after Ankara sent an exploration ship into Hellenic waters, leading to a conflict with Athens, France, and Egypt.
Ankara also resumed the seismic research activities of the MTA Oruç Reis, which it had previously suspended to allow diplomatic talks. Greek defense sources announced Thursday joint military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean together with France, which is skirting the territorial waters of Turkey in response to provocations against the interests of Paris and other European countries by Ankara’ regime.The exercises began after Turkey resumed energy exploration on 10 August, in response to the signing of the Greek-Egyptian Maritime Pact, which Turkey has defined illegal.
