Turkey has announced that it had sent a ship to conduct research for hydrocarbons in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean, rich in natural gas.
The head of european diplomacy Josep Borrell has denounced Sunday the movements “of serious concern” to the Turkish navy in the Mediterranean after the signing of an agreement by sea between Egypt and Greece.
“The recent mobilizations navies in the eastern Mediterranean are of very high concern” because they “lead to antagonism and distrust increased,” he warned in a press release. “The maritime boundaries must be defined through dialogue and negotiations and not by unilateral actions and the mobilization of naval forces”, he added.
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“disputes must be resolved in accordance with international law”, he recalled. “The european Union undertakes to contribute to the resolution of these disputes and disagreements in this area of vital interest to the security”, he assured. “The line driving current does not serve the interests of neither the european Union nor Turkey. We need to work together for security in the Mediterranean region”, he concluded.
tensions
on Monday, Turkey announced that it had sent a ship to conduct research for hydrocarbons in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean, rich in natural gas, could rekindle tensions with the neighboring Greece.
“Our research vessel seismic Oruç Reis (…) has reached the place where it will perform its work in the Mediterranean sea”, said on Twitter, the minister of Energy Fatih Dönmez. “Turkey will continue without interruption of its activities in the Mediterranean and the Black sea in order to ensure its energy independence”, he added.
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The Turkish navy has also issued an information memorandum to ships (Navtex) indicating that the Oruç Reis would lead his research from 10 to 23 August, in an area located between the islands of Crete, in southern Greece, and Cyprus and off the coast of the Turkish city of Antalya. The seismic vessels have a mission to identify possible oil deposits under the sea floor.
Friday, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced the resumption of research turks in the eastern Mediterranean, in response to the signing of an agreement by sea between Athens and Cairo, which has aroused the wrath of Ankara.
Vast gas fields
This announcement was brought to an end a suspension of a few days of research, Turkish, torn off by the German chancellor Angela Merkel to calm the tensions between Turkey and Greece.
last month, Athens has reacted angrily to the announcement by Ankara, according to which the Oruç Reis was going to conduct research in the eastern Mediterranean, seeing it as a violation of its maritime boundaries because of the presence of the Greek island of Kastellorizo just off the coast of Antalya.
The discovery in recent years of vast gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean has sharpened the appetite of the riparian countries, such as Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Israel. The Turks have multiplied exploratory drilling off Cyprus, incurring the wrath of most of the countries of the region and of the european Union, which denounce of the activities “illegal”.
to try To support its claims, Ankara has last year signed an agreement on maritime controversial with the government of Tripoli, which is expanding its maritime territory in the eastern Mediterranean.
