Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy have completed a multinational naval and air exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, as renewed disputes over maritime boundaries and energy infrastructure bring regional security concerns back into focus.
The exercise, known as EUNOMIA 7-26, ran from October 16 to 22 und
er the four countries’ Coordinated Quadrilateral Initiative, or QUAD. It concluded on Thursday, October 22, two days after Libya’s House of Representatives approved the 2019 maritime delimitation agreement with Turkey.
The timing has drawn attention to the four-way military cooperation, although the exercise was scheduled in advance and was not a direct response to the latest developments.
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COMPLETION OF THE QUADRILATERAL NAVAL AND AIR EXERCISE “EUNOMIA 7-26” (HNDGS PRESS OFFICE / EUROKINISSI)
Athens has strongly opposed the Turkey-Libya memorandum, arguing that it violates international law, disregards the sovereign rights of Greek islands and cannot produce legal effects for third countries. The European Union has also rejected the agreement’s approval and reaffirmed its support for Greece and Cyprus.
Tensions had already surfaced on October 16, when Turkey issued a counter-NAVTEX challenging the Greek authorities’ jurisdiction to announce activities related to EUNOMIA in a maritime area south of Kastellorizo, a Greek island near Turkey’s southern coast.
The area is also relevant to plans for the Great Sea Interconnector, a proposed undersea electricity cable linking Greece and Cyprus. Turkey has raised its own jurisdictional claims concerning the project’s planned route.
Focus on energy infrastructure and maritime security
EUNOMIA 7-26 included complex operational scenarios involving maritime interdiction, anti-submarine warfare, air defense and responses to surface threats. The program also featured naval deterrence operations, vessel inspections and warship firing exercises against surface targets.
Particular emphasis was placed on protecting offshore hydrocarbon extraction facilities, reflecting the operational importance of safeguarding energy infrastructure in a region where interest in energy resources continues to grow.
COMPLETION OF THE QUADRILATERAL NAVAL AND AIR EXERCISE “EUNOMIA 7-26” (HNDGS PRESS OFFICE / EUROKINISSI)
Search-and-rescue drills were also conducted to improve coordination and interoperability among the participating forces.
Greek military participation
Greece contributed personnel and equipment from the Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force and the General Staff’s Special Warfare Command.
A Distinguished Visitors Day was held aboard the Italian frigate Rizzo south of Cyprus. Greece’s Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, Gen. Dimitrios Choupis, was represented at the event by Fleet Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Ioannis Sarakis.
The exercise highlighted cooperation among the four European countries at a time when disputes over maritime boundaries, energy infrastructure and military activity are increasingly intertwined in the Eastern Mediterranean. The participating countries’ coordinated presence also underscored the importance they place on maritime security and the protection of critical energy facilities.