Exploration in Mediterranean … Turkey makes serious accusations against Qatari company
The continuing conflict in Mediterranean waters, where Turkey is violating the country’s sovereignty, has aggravated the situation in Ankara to the point of accusing companies of drilling without a license, including a Qatari company belonging to its first ally, Doha.
Turkey accused Cyprus of violating its neritic zone by granting a license to explore in the Mediterranean to ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum.
“Part of the area in question for which the license was issued is an extension of the Turkish neritic zone in the eastern Mediterranean”, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
It added: “As before, Turkey will never allow any foreign State, company or vessel to conduct unauthorized hydrocarbon research in its maritime jurisdiction, and will continue to defend its rights and those of the Turkish Cypriots”.
Cyprus recently announced that its Council of Ministers approved the license of ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum to explore in the fifth sector of the Cyprus Special Economic Zone, south and south-west of the island.
Reuters reported that Turkey has been at loggerheads with Greece and Cyprus for decades over sovereignty in the eastern Mediterranean, airspace, energy and some islands in the Aegean Sea.
Greece and Turkey did not agree on the limits of its respective neritic zones, while in the case of Cyprus, Turkey did not recognize the existence of a neritic zone and did not recognize the Government of Nicosia.
