Two separate incidents this year involving a U.S. submarine and aircraft carrier suggest that Turkey is wary of the U.S. Navy’s presence near its shores in the Eastern Mediterranean. Popular conspiracies on Turkish social media about the nefarious purpose of the U.S. naval presence near Turkey’s waters also suggest that at least a segment of the Turkish public feels hostile about it. But is that truly the case?

In early April, the USS San Juan (SSN-751), a Los Angeles-class submarine, docked at Limassol in the Republic of Cyprus. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a separatist political entity only Turkey recognizes, predictably condemned the move. The Turkish Foreign Ministry promptly issued a statement expressing “strong support” for the TRNC’s condemnation.

That wasn’t the only incident regarding the anchoring of a U.S. Navy vessel that Ankara opposed in recent months. Following the tragic earthquake that devastated Turkey in February, the U.S. offered humanitarian assistance, dispatching the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush. Turkish nationalists, including some journalists, took to social media, expressing strong opposition and promoting conspiracy theories about the carrier’s presence.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu issued a statement dismissing the prospect of the U.S. carrier docking in Turkey. “We decide who will come or not to Turkey’s territorial waters,” he said, according to Turkish media. “There was no such request from America. Even if such a request came, there is no need for it. We will not allow it.”

Ryan Gingeras, an expert on Turkey and a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, does not believe such incidents reflect general Turkish antagonism toward the U.S. Navy in the region.

“There is no evidence that suggests that there is a generally negative perception [in Turkey] of the U.S. Navy in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he told me.

“Ankara very specifically, however, does not wish any foreign power to establish stronger military ties with the Republic of Cyprus (or the Southern Cypriot Greek Administration as Turkey refers to it),” he said. “Otherwise, the U.S. Navy does regularly cooperate and interact with the Turkish Armed Forces.”