Turkey will suspend research for oil and gas exploration in disputed waters in the Eastern Mediterranean that abruptly raised military tensions with neighboring Greece, a top Turkish official says.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his aides to “be constructive and put this on hold for some time,” presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tells Turkish broadcaster CNN Turk.
NATO allies Greece and Turkey are at odds over drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey has accused Greece of trying to exclude it from the benefits of potential oil and gas finds in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, arguing that sea boundaries for commercial exploitation should be divided between the Greek and Turkish mainlands and not include the Greek islands on an equal basis. Athens counters that Turkey’s position is a violation of international law.
The drilling vessel Fatih, which was deployed by Turkey to search for gas and oil in waters considered part of the Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone, seen on June 24, 2019. (AFP)
“Everyone should continue working on their own continental shelves and conduct joint work in contested areas,” Kalin says. He also says that bilateral issues with Greece should be solved through dialogue rather than through threats on Turkey’s bid for European Union membership.
Greece and Israel are cooperating with Cyprus on a pipeline to transport gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe that is opposed by Turkey.
— With AP
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