Turkey issues new alert for drilling in Eastern Mediterranean

Yavuz drillship (Photo: AA)

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Turkey yesterday (August 16) issued a new alert announcing that its drill ship Yavuz will continue its work exploring for energy resources off the island of Cyprus.

The international maritime alert or Navtex said that the drill ship will operate between August 18 and September 15 along with the Ertuğrul Bey, Osman Bey and Orhan Bey vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean, southwest of Cyprus, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

"It is strongly recommended not to enter the working area," the Navtex stated.

Following the Navtex for the Yavuz, Southern Cyprus published a "counter-Navtex."

The administration claimed Turkey's new Navtex is unauthorized and invalid, and the Yavuz drilling and its accompanying vessels' activities in the region are illegal, AA reported, citing a radio station from Southern Cyprus.

Navtex or Navigational Telex is a maritime communications system that allows ships to inform other vessels about their presence in an area, as well as other information.

EU: Turkey fuels further tensions

After an EU foreign ministers meeting on Friday (August 14) the bloc's foreign policy head Josep Borrell said that Turkey's activities in the Eastern Mediterranen causes tensions and insecurity.

"Today's announcement by Turkey of renewed drilling activities by the Yavuz vessel in a maritime zone which has been delineated by Cyprus and Egypt regrettably fuels further tensions and insecurity in the Eastern Mediterranean," he said in a written statement.

"This action runs counter and undermines efforts to resume dialogue and negotiations, and to pursue immediate de-escalation, which is the only path towards stability and lasting solutions, as reiterated by EU Foreign Ministers last Friday.

"I call on the Turkish authorities to end these activities immediately and to engage fully and in good faith in a broad dialogue with the European Union."

He also tweeted after the meeting, expressing solidarity with Greece and Southern Cyprus.

Concluded good and constructive #FAC.

Eastern Med: Full solidarity w/ Greece&Cyprus; calling Turkey for immediate deescalation and reengaging in dialogue.

Belarus: EU doesn't accept election results. Work begins on sanctioning those responsible for violence & falsification.

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 14, 2020

Tweets by the Defense Ministry

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday (August 16) posted pictures from the "Operation Mediterranean Shield."

"Turkish Navy frigate TCG Kemalreis, participating in Operation Mediterranean Shield, has conducted maritime training in the Mediterranean with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Coast Guard units and escorted Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa survey ship," it said on Twitter.

Turkish Navy frigate TCG KEMALREIS, participating in Operation Mediterranean Shield, has conducted maritime training in the Mediterranean with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Coast Guard units and escorted BARBAROS HAYRETTIN PASA survey ship. https://t.co/fpEpyLSF5s

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 16, 2020

TCG KEMALREIS participating in Operation Mediterranean Shield and TCG BANDIRMA participating in United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) are on duty in Eastern Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/pKB3HUmmSd

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 16, 2020

(PT/VK)