Turkey has decided to drill the shelf despite the protests of Greece. This was stated by the head of the Turkish foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, it quoted Reuters.
Ankara gave a license to the seismic survey in the area, which Athens considered their exclusive economic zone. According to Cavusoglu, drill the shelf will begin in late August.
According to the Turkish Minister in Athens are responsible for the worsening of relations with Ankara. In addition, it is noted that the Hellenic armed forces have already been put on high alert.
In early June, the Turkish government decided to “protect the interests of the state” on the continental shelf of Cyprus: Ankara wants to continue the exploration “in spite of the hostile actions of some States”.
Coast in the Eastern Mediterranean — a source of tension between the countries-EU members Cyprus and Greece on the one hand and Turkey on the other. The latter has repeatedly called for the joint development of deposits of Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots, Ankara has made cooperation with Moscow. In the debate on the division of energy also involved Egypt and Israel.
Contradictions arose in 1974, when Cyprus was a coup with the aim of annexing the island to Greece. Then Turkey sent troops to the North of Cyprus and in the occupied territories declared Cyprus Turkish federated state, later renamed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The rest of the island is now under the control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus.
