A Turkish research vessel has made its way into controversial waters, leading to precautionary military measures by Greece; Turkish naval ships escorted the research ship; Turkish F-16s have also been spotted accompanying the research vessel.

Turkey’s Oruc Reis research vessel entered Grecian waters on Monday, causing tension in the region to escalate at an exponentially faster rate. The ship will be surveying the area for oil-related purposes south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo. In response, Greece has put its military on high alert, calling all personnel to return to their respective posts immediately.

Following the Turkish ship’s entrance into Grecian waters, Greece’s National Security Council conducted an emergency meeting.

The Oruc Reis vessel was accompanied by not only a dozen Turkish naval ships but also F16s, which means that Turkey absolutely knew it was infiltrating foreign waters. Furthermore, Greece was swift to demand that the ship leave Grecian waters immediately. Regardless, the ship intends to carry out research in the area until August 23rd. However, there’s no guarantee that Greece will tolerate such a move.

Greece warned that Turkey’s actions could very well disrupt peace in the region, but given its recent actions, it appears that Turkey is banking on it. Greece warned that if necessary, it “will defend its sovereignty and its sovereign rights.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan argued, “We cannot allow nations to ignore a big country like Turkey and try to imprison us to our shores.”

However, it’s doubtful that he would respond the same way if the shoe was on the other foot.