Turkey sends another drillship to Cypriot waters

Turkey is sending another drillship to carry out oil and gas exploration activities in waters off Cyprus, according to Cyprus' state-run news agency CNA, in defiance of renewed warnings by the European Commission to end such "illegal drilling" or be hit with new sanctions.

Cyprus said Turkey issued a new navigational telex reserving an area covering parts of blocks 6 and 7 in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for a near three-month period from today until 18 July.

The Yavuz drillship, which Cyprus said is being escorted by a Turkish naval frigate, left the Turkish port of Tasucu late yesterday and is now around 20 miles (32km) off the island's east coast, according to vessel tracker FleetMon. It is scheduled to reach its destination later today.

The move comes around a week after Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu insisted that Ankara would continue drilling in the region despite ongoing pressure from the Greek and Greek Cypriot governments, and the European Union.

"For regional stability, the main focus should be to bring the two sides together on the island for equitable revenue sharing, and the proposals of the Turkish Cypriot authorities represent the only reasonable and realistic basis for a solution," Cavusoglu said. "The EU measures that have been taken against us do not contribute to the solution. They only encourage the Greek Cypriots to move further away from the solution."

The EU in February froze the financial assets of two high-ranking officials at Turkish state-owned oil company TPAO, and imposed travel bans on both, over what it described as "unauthorised drilling" offshore Cyprus.

The Yavuz, also owned by TPAO, is the third exploration vessel that Turkey has sent to the eastern Mediterranean since 2014. Ankara deployed a second drillship, the Fatih, to explore for oil and gas in late-2018, and seismic research vessel Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, in 2014.

The Yavuz carried out unauthorised drilling in Cyprus' territorial waters in July-September last year, and in block 7 in its EEZ from October to January.

Cavusoglu said Turkey's state-owned oil company TPAO had recently taken ownership of its third drillship, Kanuni, which he said Ankara was prepared to also send to the east Mediterranean region "if needed".

Turkey's ministry of defence yesterday reiterated that the country's armed forces would "continue to protect the interests of both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, within the framework of international agreements." It said air support had been offered to Turkish exploration vessels, in addition to naval support.

The European Commission this week reiterated the EU's support for Cyprus on this issue and warned Ankara that it would be slapped with further sanctions if it did not stop such "illegal drilling" in the east Mediterranean.

Turkey has no diplomatic ties with the Cypriot government and is the only country to recognise the Turkish-Cypriot enclave in the north of the island.

By Nader Itayim