Turkey, US conduct joint naval training exercise in Med

By Fahri Aksut

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey took part in naval training exercises with allied forces in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Wednesday, according to its National Defense Ministry.

In a tweet, the ministry said joint maritime training exercises had been held with the TCG Barbaros frigate, TCG Burgazada corvette and USS Winston S. Churchill destroyer.

This week, Turkey and later Greece sent out conflicting alerts on energy exploration and military exercises in the Mediterranean.

Greece has disputed Turkey's current energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

Turkey -- the country with the longest coastline on the Mediterranean -- has sent out drillships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, saying that both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have rights in the region.

Dialogue for fair sharing of these resources will be win-win for all sides, say Turkish officials.