A crisis took place in late March 1987 between
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
and
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
as part of the
Aegean dispute
Aegean may refer to:
*Aegean Sea
* Aegean Islands
*Aegean Region (geographical), Turkey
*Aegean Region (statistical), Turkey
*Aegean civilizations
* Aegean languages, a group of ancient languages and proposed language family
* Aegean Sea (theme), ...
. Turkey learned that Greece was starting to drill for oil in the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
in the vicinity of
Thasos
Thasos or Thassos ( el, Θάσος, ''Thásos'') is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea. It is the northernmost major Greek island, and 12th largest by area.
The island has an area of and a population of about 13,000. It forms a separate r ...
, a Greek territory. In response, the Turkish survey ship ''Piri Reis'' (and later the
RV ''MTA Sismik 1'') was sent to the area with an escort of Turkish warships.
Background
Oil was discovered off Thasos, in 1973. Greece claimed ownership of
mineral rights
Mineral rights are property rights to exploit an area for the minerals it harbors. Mineral rights can be separate from property ownership (see Split estate). Mineral rights can refer to sedentary minerals that do not move below the Earth's surfac ...
in the
continental shelf extending from beneath all its islands in the Aegean. Turkey proposed that the continental shelf be divided through negotiations.
Events
In March 1987, a decision of the Greek government to nationalize the consortium of companies that was drilling oil
off Thasos, and planned exploratory oil drilling east of the island of Thasos, such as the impression by Turkey that Greece was planning new researches for oil, provoked tension between the two countries.
The crisis escalated, armed forces of both countries were on alert, and each side said they would use force if obstructed by the other.
The incident nearly started a war between Greece and Turkey.
Greek prime minister
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, ...
gave the orders to sink the ship if it was found in Greek waters. Turkish Prime Minister
Turgut Özal
Halil Turgut Özal (; 13 October 192717 April 1993) was a Turkish politician, who served as the 8th President of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the 26th Prime Minister of Turkey from 1983 to 1989 as the leader of the Mothe ...
said that "If Greece interferes with our vessel in any way, and this is what Papandreou is saying, we will act in the same way against him", "As a result, it could be cause for war," but he also added that "We are waiting for the first move from them."
The Greek foreign minister
Karolos Papoulias
Karolos Papoulias ( el, Κάρολος Παπούλιας ; 4 June 1929 – 26 December 2021) was a Greek politician who served as the president of Greece from 2005 to 2015.
A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he previously ...
was sent to
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
(then a member of the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...
) for discussions. The Greek government gave orders for the suspension of operation of the base of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
in
Nea Makri
Nea Makri ( el, Νέα Μάκρη) is a town in East Attica, Greece. Since the local government reform of 2011, it has been a municipal unit within the municipality of Marathon. The municipal unit has an area of 36.662 km2. It is part of the ...
, while the Greek forces and Navy were alarmed.
Britain's
Lord Carrington, the secretary general of NATO, urged Greece and Turkey to avoid the use of force and offered to act as a mediator.
See also
*
Greek–Turkish relations
References
{{reflist
Greece–Turkey relations
1987 in Turkey
1987 in Greece
Conflicts in 1987
International maritime incidents
Andreas Papandreou