Ankara (AFP)
Turkey will expand its search for hydrocarbons in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean in the coming weeks, at the risk of aggravating tensions with Greece, the Turkish Foreign Minister announced on Tuesday.
"From the end of August, we will issue permits to carry out new research and drilling in new areas (...) in the western part of our continental shelf," said Mevlüt Cavusoglu, during a conference of press in Ankara.
"We are determined to defend our interests," he added.
The statements come as tensions have escalated in recent weeks in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkish activities are angering Greece, which on Tuesday called on the European Union to hold an emergency summit.
On Monday, a Turkish seismic vessel, the Oruç Reis, began research in an area off the Turkish city of Antalya, between the islands of Crete in southern Greece and Cyprus.
Five Turkish warships escort the Oruc Reis, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry, which has released photos of the fleet.
The mission of the seismic research vessels is to locate any submarine deposits.
After a few days of suspension, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday the resumption of Turkish research in the eastern Mediterranean, in response to the signing of a maritime agreement between Athens and Cairo which angered Ankara.
The Turkish president, however, said he was open Monday to a "dialogue based on equity".
The discovery in recent years of vast gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean has whetted the appetite of neighboring countries, such as Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Israel.
Ankara signed a controversial maritime agreement last year with the government in Tripoli, which is expanding its maritime territory in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish exploratory drilling off the coast of Cyprus had drawn the wrath of most countries in the region and the European Union, which denounce "illegal" activities.
© 2020 AFP