Turkey to issue new drilling licenses in eastern Mediterranean amid rising tensions
Following escalations Aug. 10 between Turkey and Greece over contested areas of the eastern Mediterranean, Ankara officials said they would issue new exploration licenses in the region this month.
ISTANBUL — A cycle of escalation is in full swing in the eastern Mediterranean, where a Turkish seismic research ship escorted by Turkish naval vessels entered waters contested by Greece on Aug. 10.
The ship, Oruc Reis, arrived to conduct energy exploration activities south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo until Aug. 23, sparking tensions with officials in Athens who claim the region is part of Greece’s continental shelf.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias called on Turkey Aug. 11 to leave the area “immediately,” stating there would be “no tolerance” for the actions. But his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, doubled down on Ankara’s stance, saying new gas exploration and drilling licenses would be issued for the region this month.
“Our determination is unfaltering here,” Cavusoglu told reporters at a press conference in Azerbaijan Aug. 11. “We will not compromise in any way from this.”
