The statement comes as Turkey has announced that it will send its research ship Oruc Reis back to a disputed Mediterranean gas field after it initially returned to the country’s shores following a political escalation between Ankara and Athens, Sputnik reported.

On Sunday, the Turkish navy confirmed that the country would continue its research activities in the area until 22 October, according to information shared through the NAVTEX alert system.

“The new Turkish NAVTEX on surveys south of Kastellorizo within the Greek continental shelf, at a distance of just 6.5 nautical miles from Greek shores, is a major escalation,” Greece’s foreign ministry said.

Last week, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Bratislava as a part of GLOBSEC forum, the first high-profiles talks between the two powers since the east Med tensions resumed between the two this summer. During the meeting, Turkey committed to setting a date for talks on exploratory rights in the area.

The Greek ministry noted that Turkey’s decision to send the ship back to the disputed waters showed that the country was “unreliable”.

“We call on Turkey to recall its decision”, Greece insisited.

In August, tensions between Turkey and Greece rose to a new height after the Oruc Reis, a Turkish gas exploration ship, entered disputed waters in the east Mediterranean south of Greek island Kastellorizo, accompanied by warships. Ankara insisted that the ship had been tasked with carrying out “seismic activity” research in the waters, to which Greece claims to have exclusive rights.

The move was condemned by Greece and the European Union, with Brussels threatening Turkey with sanctions in relation to its drilling activities, which were deemed “illegal” by EU officials.

In September, the Oruc Reis made its way back to Turkey to “allow for diplomacy”. However, the country’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said at the time that the move wasn’t intended as a signal that Ankara was “giving up” its “rights” to the territory. Rather, Akar insisted, the ship’s return was a part of scheduled operations as there will be “planned movements backwards and forwards”.

Greek island of Kastellorizo is located just 2 km from Turkey’s coast. Athens argues that any exploration activity around the territory is illegal as it encroaches on its continental shelf. However, Turkey maintains that “islands that are far from the mainland and closer to Turkey cannot have a continental shelf”, thus green lighting any drilling activities in the area.

“In Ajaccio, we sent a clear message to Turkey: let’s reopen a responsible dialogue, in good faith, without naivety. This call is now also that of the European Parliament. It seems to have been heard. Let’s move on,” Macron said in a tweet in Turkish, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkey on Friday accused Macron of adding fuel to the fire in the Eastern Mediterranean and making it harder to solve problems.

In an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the French president is trying to take on the role of Napoleon who died two centuries ago but Macron is not strong enough for this.

Akar said Macron is trying to have some roles in the Eastern Mediterranean to obscure his problems in France.

He said Turkey defends its rights and interests, reminding that it has approximately 2,000 kilometers (around 1,242 miles) of coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean.

With regard to the EU’s attitude on the issue, Akar said the EU does not contribute to the solution and has become a part of the deadlock.

He said the EU does not have any authority to set or change rules or draw borders in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Tensions have recently escalated over the issue of energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Greece has disputed Turkey’s energy exploration in the region, 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 drill ships, with military escort, to explore for energy on its continental shelf.

Turkey has meanwhile called for dialogue to ensure the fair sharing of the region’s resources.

Recently, Turkish and Greek military delegations have held technical meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss ways to reduce the risk of an incident amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.