Turkey plans to deploy fourth drill ship off Cyprus
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Turkey is set to deploy a fourth ship to explore for gas and oil off the coast of Cyprus in defiance of EU sanctions imposed to end Ankara’s illegal operations around the island.
Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said “we have three ships there. God willing, we will send a fourth ship to the Eastern Mediterranean as soon as possible.”
His statement reflects the line adopted by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said “we are going to stand tall” in response to pressure from the EU, US, Greece, Cyprus and other powers to curb Turkey’s activities involving Cyprus, Greece and Syria.
he Turkish ship Fatih began drilling in May off the western coast of Cyprus within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in violation of international law. A second drill ship, Yavuz, is set to start operations shortly, while a Turkish exploration vessel, Barbaros Hayrettin, has been deployed south of Cyprus.
The fourth ship, Oruc Reis, will be dispatched to Cyprus after completing work in the Sea of Marmara.
EU foreign ministers have decided to cut €145.8 million from its €4 billion in aid to Turkey for 2020, suspend high-level talks, review European Investment Bank loans, and halt negotiations on the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement in reaction to Turkey’s conduct.
