"If a Turkish research or drilling vessel reaches our continental shelf, we will defend our national sovereignty," Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis said in an interview with SKAI TV on Thursday.

“Greece is constantly sending Turkey the message that its arbitrariness will not be accepted and that, with the support of the European Union and the International Community, we will fully defend our sovereign rights with regard to borders, continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Greece and the European Union,” the President of the Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, said on Sunday from Kozani, while also stressing the need for unity.

Turkey announced on Monday the initiation of the renowned Mavi Vatan (Blue Motherland) military exercise on 27 February. The Turkish press considers Blue Motherland a formal rehearsal of military operations which underscore the limits and potential capabilities of Turkish armed forces.