Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his use of escalating rhetoric in statements made on Monday in which he referred to Greece.

The Greek ambassador in Ankara was summoned on Monday, and protests were sent to Washington over the presence of military vehicles on Greek islands, in the Aegean, near the Turkish coast.

Turkey accused Greece over the presence of US armoured vehicles on two Greek islands in the Aegean. They say these islands should be demilitarised according to 'international agreements'.

Greece branded the move as "completely unfounded and incompatible with international law". They say international law, gives Greece the right to defend its islands.

What's happened now? Turkish security sources shared aerial images showing ships carrying US armoured vehicles docking at two Greek islands, Lesbos and Samos. The Turkish foreign ministry told the Greek envoy that Athens should "stop violations" and "respect the non-military status the islands were assigned by international law" the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

What did Erdogan say? The Turkish President separately accused Greece of staging "provocations" and playing "perilous games". “Greece will be held accountable for the people it left to die in the Mediterranean,” stated Erdogan, doubling down on the accusations he levelled against the country during his address to the United Nations General Assembly. Erdogan continued his war of words on Monday, saying Greece was not Turkey's equal and rejecting diplomatic talks.

Greece and Turkey, are both part of NATO. Greece is also a member-state of the EU, since 1981. Greece recently filed a formal complaint with the EU, NATO and the United Nations after Erdogan hinted at a possible military operation in the Aegean earlier this month.

What's driving the conflict? Turkey is looking for oil and gas around Greek islands and Cyprus. Turkey has shown disregard for Greek waters and claimed huge parts under an agreement with Libya dividing the seas that no other country recognizes.

Greek Islands map

Greece has invited Turkey to sign the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): Greece and Turkey would be able to settle their differences if Ankara signed up to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told Kathimerini on Sunday.

Why now?  Steven A. Cook, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, thinks Erdogan is using Greece and Cyprus to turn public sentiment against them, as he faces an election after 20 years in power amidst a Turkish economy in dire straits because of Erdogan’s "poor management".

How has Athens responded? Ambassador Christodoulos Lazaris told Turkish officials that Greece is not the country threatening its neighbor with a casus belli nor has it amassed the largest landing fleet on its shores, as Turkey has done.

"A load of uncertainties loom over what is expected to be a year of elections in Turkey", says Turkish journalist Yavuz Baydar, Editor-in-Chief of Ahval, who thinks the "unpredictability of Erdogan’s behavioral pattern"s are mixed with what his and his ultra-nationalist partners’ intents are for the year 2023. Meanwhile, the Turkish president’s closer co-operation with Moscow could trigger retaliation from the US.