Turkish President Recep Tayyip accused European nations of using Greece as "bait" in the Mediterranean Sea confrontation while belittling Athens' military might on Tuesday.
Erdogan, who has threatened Greece with military action, described Turkey's activities in the eastern Mediterranean as the "pursuit of [its] rights and justice" and denounced what he said were Greek efforts to "imprison" Turkey to a small region surrounding its coast.
"Efforts to descend on the riches of the Mediterranean, which are the rights of every country around it, is an example of modern-day colonialism," Erdogan said.
In recent weeks, Turkish and Greek leaders have been engaged in tense rhetoric while their warships have been shadowing each other in the eastern Mediterranean.
Both countries' forces have been conducting a series of military exercises in the seas between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete. The standoff was sparked when Turkey sent its research vessel, Oruc Reis, accompanied by warships to search for gas and oil reserves.
Greece, a member of the European Union, claims the waters are part of its continental shelf and has enlisted the support of the 27-nation bloc, which has condemned Turkey's "illegal activities" and plans to blacklist Turkish officials linked to energy exploration.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he had taken a tough stance over the summer with regard to Turkey's actions in the eastern Mediterranean, setting red lines because Ankara respects actions not words.
"When it comes to Mediterranean sovereignty, I have to be consistent in deeds and words," Macron told reporters at a news conference.
"I can tell you that the Turks only consider and respect that. If you say words that are not followed by acts...What France did this summer was important: it's a red line policy. I did it in Syria," he said referring to French air strikes against suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria.
Macron has repeatedly demanded further EU sanctions against Turkey and the two NATO allies almost came to blows in June after a French warship attempted to inspect a Turkish vessel as part of a U.N. arms embargo for Libya.
"Germany and other partners are beginning to agree with us that Turkey's agenda is problematic today," Macron said. "When six months ago people were saying France is the only one blaming Turkey for things, everyone now sees that there is a problem."
Anyone else think that there is a possibility for this to get bad? The Erdogan regime has been acting up over the last few years, and like all authoritarian populist strongmen he needs a bunch of enemies for political advantage. Bullying the European Union? Perfect for Erdogan! However, he must have forgot to calculate the fact that Europe has a new generation of young leaders that are fiercely pro-Europe, and won't stand for Turkish aggression. President Macron has stood up to defend Greece, sending the French Navy in to try and intimidate the Turks. Hopefully there will be no need for any conflict, but I think it a stronger show of force is necessary to deal with the Turks. An integrated European military would have been very useful to deal with this situation...
