The European Union condemned the movements and drilling operations carried out by Turkey off the coast of Cyprus, in the context of a dispute related to the exploration of gas fields, accusing Ankara of "aggravating differences".
The 27 member states of the Union have repeatedly called on Turkey to stop drilling for gas and oil exploration off the coast of Cyprus, because it interferes with the economic zone of Cyprus, a member of the European bloc.
Earlier this year, the European Union froze the assets of Turkish citizens involved in the operations and prevented them from entering its territory, but Ankara did not retreat.
The foreign ministers of the 27 member states of the European Union said in a joint statement: “We regret that Turkey did not respond to the many calls of the European Union to stop such activities, and we reiterate our call for Turkey to demonstrate restraint, abandon this type of movement and respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Cyprus. ».
The ministers welcomed Cyprus' efforts to negotiate this dispute, stressing that "the recent escalation in Turkish moves is regrettably going in the wrong direction."
The Turkish ship "Yavuz" has been drilling off the coast of Cyprus since the end of last April. Two days ago, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez stressed that the drilling would not stop. "Ankara continues its drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean without stopping," he told the Anatolia news agency.
Last January, the European Union issued a warning to Turkey regarding its exploration operations, with Ankara announcing the arrival of its exploration ship near the island, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected earlier European Union warnings, and warned that Turkey embraces about four million Refugees, most of them Syrians, can open doors for Europe.