Egypt warned against intentions of Turkey to begin drilling activities in a maritime area west of Cyprus, according to a Saturday statement issued by Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement added that Egypt is following the development, warning against the effects of any unilateral actions on security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
On Friday, Turkey sent out a message on NAVTEX, the international maritime navigational telex system, announcing that its vessels would start drilling operations in the Mediterranean until September.
The move was denounced by Cypriot foreign ministry on Saturday, calling Turkey’s bid to drill for natural gas in waters where the island nation has exclusive economic rights “a flagrant violation” of its sovereignty under international law.
Moreover, European Union High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini urged Turkey to reconsider plans to start exploratory drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus, already condemned as illegal by the European Union.
Earlier in 2018, Egypt’s foreign ministry said that Turkey will face a confrontation from Egypt if it does not respect Cairo’s rights for gas exploration deal with Greek and Cyprus.
Egypt has signed a maritime border demarcation agreement in 2013 with Cyprus for digging for oil in the zone.
