Turkey and Greece are allies in NATO but have long been at loggerheads over Cyprus which has been ethnically split between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 1974.
The Republic of Cyprus in the south of the island is a member of the EU, while the Turkish part in the north is only recognized by Turkey.
Several peacemaking efforts have failed over the years and the discovery of offshore resources off Cyprus in the last decade has made things even more complicated.
Earlier this year, in response to the Republic of Cyprus' drilling activities in partnership with the U.S. and Italian consortiums, Turkey sent its own ships guarded by gunboats. And a drilling has recently been launched by Ankara, despite international warnings.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rebuffed foreign criticism, insisting that his country will not pull out its drilling vessels and will further implement the deal with Libya to extend Turkey's maritime border in the Mediterranean.
Cem Gurdeniz, a retired Turkish admiral, said that for the moment a Turkish compromise with main contender Greece is unlikely, but on the other hand, reaching deals with Egypt and even Syria could be expected in the future.
"Turkey's agreements with Libya is a real game changer and is expected to enhance a new and important process" in eastern Mediterranean, Gurdeniz wrote in a column in the Aydinlik daily.
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