Istanbul (AFP)
The second Turkish ship chartered by Ankara will start drilling gas fields off Cyprus next week, the Turkish energy minister said on Saturday, ignoring EU criticism of the "illegal activities" of the EU. Ankara.
Turkey sent a second drill ship on June 20 to explore these deposits, sources of tension between Ankara and the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union.
"God willing, we will start the first drilling within a week," said Fatih Sönmez, quoted by private television NTV.
The ship "Yavuz" will explore an area off the Karpas Peninsula, said the minister. It is located in the north-east of the island, in the part that is under the control of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, not recognized by the international community.
A first ship, "Fatih", dispatched a few months ago, has already started exploratory drilling in this area on which Cyprus claims its sovereignty.
On June 20, after the announcement of the dispatch of "Yavuz", the European Union threatened Turkey with sanctions. The 28 leaders of the EU, then meeting at the summit in Brussels, had condemned without appeal its "illegal activities of drilling".
The Cypriot authorities even issued arrest warrants for the Fatih crew. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is stepping up statements of firmness. According to Ankara, these boreholes are not only "legitimate" but perfectly in line with international law.
? 2019 AFP