Turkey will continue drilling activities
Those who intend to limit Turkey's continental shelf with Antalya Gulf should know that Turkey will resolutely continue its exploration and drilling activities, country's vice president (VP) said on July 21, the Hurriyet Daily News said on its website www.hurriyetdailynews.com. "Every inch of our land is precious for us as well as every drop of our sea is precious and indispensable", Fuat Oktay said at the welcoming ceremony of the multi-purpose rescue ship Gemi Kurtaran in the Turkish coastal city of Girne. "The Gemi Kurtaran tugboat will intervene in the possible marine accidents in the Mediterranean and contribute to the prevention of marine pollution from now on", the VP added.
Different Views
Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration's unilateral drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to the resources in the area.
Since this spring, the Turkish government has sent two drilling vessels, Fatih and most recently Yavuz, to the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting the right of Turkey and the TRNC to the resources of the region, the Hurriyet Daily News said. Turkey's first seismic vessel, the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa, bought from Norway in 2013, has been conducting exploration in the Mediterranean since April 2017.
Read the full article on www.hurriyetdailynews.com. (Photo courtesy Hurriyet Daily News)
