Greece starts Mediterranean navy exercises

Military jets were seen flying over frigates in footage released on Tuesday as Greece's navy and air force began military training exercises in the eastern Mediterranean amid tensions with Turkey.

The Hellenic National Defense General Staff said the exercises were part of operational training which included naval air defense, anti-submarine warfare and advance maneuvering.

They come one day after Greek and US military ships and aircraft conducted joint drills south of Crete.

Athens and Ankara are locked in an acrimonious dispute over maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

Turkey's Defense Ministry tweeted two Turkish frigates and an Italian destroyer also conducted training in the eastern Mediterranean Tuesday "to improve coordination and interoperability."

A Turkish official had said the training would last for a few hours only.

Adding to the tangle of overlapping drills, Cyprus' Defense Ministry said warplanes and navy ships from France, Italy, Greece and Cyprus would be holding air and sea military exercises starting Wednesday.

A Turkish research vessel is in the broader area of the eastern Mediterranean prospecting for oil and gas.

The Turkish government disputes Greece's claim to exclusive rights in the waters where Turkey's Oruc Reis research vessel is now surveying.

The United States and the European Union so far have broadly backed Greece in the dispute, but EU countries remain split over a request from Greece to impose sanctions on Turkey.

The tensions between the two NATO members over Mediterranean Sea rights have echoed across Europe, with Germany stepping up diplomatic efforts to prevent tensions between the two regional rivals from escalating further.