The Greek navy has sent ships to the Aegean Sea following Turkish naval activity in the region, and are currently on "high alert," according to a source in AFP.
The source added that naval craft were currently deployed in the southern and south-eastern region of the Aegean, without elaborating. The deployment followed an announcement by the Turkish government in Ankara that a Turkish drilling ship had been sent to conduct a survey in waters close to the Greek island of Kastellorizo, off the southern coast of Turkey.
Greece claims that the survey is illegal as it is being conducted in a Greek section of the continental shelf, an allegation that Turkey denies.
In recent years, significant natural gas reserves have been found in the waters off the disputed island of Cyprus. Greece, Israel, and Egypt have been collaborating to exploit most of the resources, while Ankara insists that the island's natural resources should be shared between Greece and Turkey.