Turkey and Greece avoid coming to blows, for now
But a dispute over drilling rights is far from settled
On patmos, a small Greek island popular with jet-setters, flags flew at half-mast on July 24th. Church bells tolled every hour in protest against Turkey’s transformation of the Hagia Sophia, in Byzantine times the grandest cathedral in Christendom, from museum to mosque. That was not the islanders’ only concern. Coastguards, together with almost all the Greek navy and air force, were placed on high alert after Turkey announced on July 21st that the Oruc Reis, a drilling ship, would carry out ten days of exploration for oil and gas in a disputed area of the south Aegean.
More:Muddying the waters - Turkey and Greece avoid coming to blows, for now | Europe | The Economist
