The European Union has once again warned Turkey against exploratory drilling in the Cypriot economic zone in the Mediterranean Sea. The repeated warning follows Turkey's announcement that it is sending a drilling ship to the area.
Turkey disputes that the sea area belongs to Cyprus because it claims the area belongs to the Turkish-Cypriot republic declared by pro-Turkish Cypriots there several decades ago. This entity is not recognized by any country in the world except Turkey. The issue is one of the major disagreements between Brussels and Ankara.
“Concrete steps are needed to in good faith create a situation that promotes dialogue,” said an EU spokesperson. “Turkey's intention to start further exploration and drilling activities in the wider region unfortunately goes in the opposite direction.”
The EU emphasized that international maritime law and the sovereign rights over maritime zones of all member states must be respected.
Cyprus accused Turkey on Sunday of “piracy” after Ankara announced new plans to drill for oil and gas in the divided maritime zone of the island, despite earlier threats of EU sanctions.
Ankara repeatedly ignored calls from the international community, especially the European Union, to end its illegal activities in Cypriot waters. On Friday, Turkey announced that the drilling ship Yavuz would return to Cypriot waters for drilling activities, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that Turkey would begin gas exploration “as soon as possible.”