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Turkey ‘will stop’ unauthorised drilling off its coast
ISTANBUL, Dec 11, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Turkey warned on Wednesday that it
would prevent other countries from exploring and drilling for gas without
permission in areas that it claims in the eastern Mediterranean.
Tensions have been rising over maritime boundaries in the region since the
discovery of large gas reserves.
A maritime deal last month between Turkey and Libya has angered other
littoral states, undercutting claims by Greece and its regional partners.
“Nobody can conduct these kinds of (drilling) activities in our
continental shelf without our permission,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
said in an interview on A Haber television. Asked how Turkey would respond if
drilling took place, he said: “We will stop them, of course.”
But Cavusoglu added that Turkey was ready to sit down with Greece to
resolve the dispute.
“We are not in favour of tensions, we are in favour of an approach that
can guarantee the rights of both sides under international law,” he said.
Cavusoglu also addressed rising tensions with the United States over its
purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system, which could trigger
sanctions by Washington.
He indicated that Turkey would consider removing US forces from their
Turkish bases if sanctions were imposed.
“Both Incirlik and Kurecik (radar station) can be on the table,” he said.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1502 hrs