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Turkey by striking their own deal without the consideration of both the major regional player and the people of the Turkish Republic of North- ern Cyprus (TRNC). erefore, it is stressing that the drilling activities that Turkey is carrying out are legal and within territorial waters.
Turkey’s latest hydrocarbons exploration drive in the eastern Mediterranean has rattled some cages of its neighbouring governments. In January the Turkish seismic research ship Oruc Reis started conducting seismic surveys in an area about 200 miles (320km) to the west of Cyprus and some 90 miles (144km) to the east of Crete, accompanied by two logistic support vessels. e mission, scheduled to continue until April 10, is very close to the boundary zone out- lined in the agreement with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA).
Never before has a Turkish research ship gone so close to Crete and Libya for exploratory work, intended to lay the ground for Turkey’s demar- cation and licensing of drilling zones in the east- ern Mediterranean, where tensions are already running high between the neighbouring littoral states. One of Turkey’s two deep-sea drill ships, the Fatih and the Yavuz, could join the Oruc Reis in the area in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the Turkish navy’s activities in the eastern Mediterranean remain in full swing, both as part of NATO missions and bilateral military ties. On January 28, the appearance of two Turkish frigates o Tripoli caused a stir in the Libyan capital.
ere were claims on social media the frig- ates were bringing military aid, but the Turkish Defence Ministry clari ed in a statement that the TCG Gaziantep and the TCG Gediz had col- lected 30 illegal migrants from a dinghy on the high seas and handed them over to the Libyan coastguard while taking part in NATO’s Opera- tion Sea Guardian.
The statement suggests the military ships were on their way to GNA-controlled Tripoli when they spotted the boat, whose passengers were likely headed to Europe.
e statement comes across as a tacit message to European countries — Germany in particular — that with their support, the GNA and Turkey could be e cient in curbing the ow of illegal
migrants from Libya to Europe. is could be a sign that Turkey’s exploration e orts in the east- ern Mediterranean, which have relied mostly on gunboat diplomacy and coercive tactics thus far, are shi ing to a more diplomatic ground, where Ankara will seek collaboration and possibly the formation of a bloc with both European and regional actors such as Italy, Germany, Tunisia and Algeria.
Flashpoint in Cyprus waters
Already drilling for oil and gas in Cyprus’ sover- eign waters, Turkey demanded that the island’s legitimate government stop allowing foreign companies licences to operate in these waters, but this was quickly rejected.
Turkey said the cessation of drilling by the companies, including France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and US energy giant ExxonMobil, was a con- dition to be met before Turkish ships would stop their work in the island’s Exclusive Eco- nomic Zone (EEZ). Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman hami Aksoy said that this demand was designed to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots to take part in the licensing a er they had rejected Cypriot President Nicos Anastasi- ades’ o er to share 30% of potentially lucrative revenues.
Aksoy said that “until these rights are guaran- teed, Turkish Petroleum will continue to oper- ate” in the areas licensed by Turkey in waters it claims.
“ ese rights can only be guaranteed either by jointly suspending all o shore activities in the south of the island until a comprehensive settlement is reached in Cyprus, or by launching a co-operation mechanism by the Greek Cypri- ots with the Turkish Cypriots in accordance with the July 13, 2019 proposal,” Aksoy said. “Other- wise, Turkey will continue resolutely to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots,” with tension remaining as Turkey ignored calls by the Cypriot government and the US to stop exploring.
Cypriot spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said the government “has never usurped or tried to usurp the rights of Turkish Cypriots, in contrast to what Turkey has done, chie y to the detriment of Greek Cypriots but also of Turkish Cypriots,” he also said.
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w w w. N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 05 05•February•2020