Turkey announced on Sunday that it would extend its search for gas fields in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean, ignoring calls from the European Union for de-escalation. In a maritime notice (Navtex) published on the night of Saturday to Sunday, the Turkish navy indicates that the drilling vessel Yavuz, deployed off Cyprus for several months, will conduct research in the southwest of the island from August 18 to September 15.
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" We strongly advise against going to the search area ," warns the Turkish navy in this message. The announcement of the extension of these operations comes amid growing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, where the discovery in recent years of large gas fields has whetted Turkey's appetite.
Last week, Ankara deployed the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel, escorted by warships, to an area claimed by Greece, sparking anger from Athens and concern from the EU. Oruc Reis, which has been deployed between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete, is due to conduct its operations until 23 August.
Reacting to the Turkish announcement on Sunday, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell called on Ankara to “ immediately ” cease its search for gas fields. The expansion of Turkish activities off Cyprus is “ regrettably increasing tensions and insecurity, ” Borrell added in a statement.
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These tensions were also at the heart of a meeting Sunday in the Dominican Republic between the head of American diplomacy Mike Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Cavusoglu. During their meeting, the two ministers spoke of the " urgent need to reduce tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, " the State Department said in a statement.
During a press point after this meeting, Mr. Cavusoglu affirmed that Ankara would " continue to defend its interests ". On Friday, foreign ministers from European countries met in Brussels to call for de-escalation. France, whose relations with Turkey have been strained in recent months, on Thursday reinforced its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean to support Athens.
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In this context of tensions, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he was ready to dialogue, while stressing that his country would not back down " in the face of sanctions and threats ". On Sunday, the Turkish Defense Ministry also published photos of naval maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean. These images show warships escorting another Turkish seismic research vessel, the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa.