Turkey’s resumed search for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean is “extremely worrying,” the EU said Sunday after Greece and Egypt set up an exclusive economic zone in the region.
“Latest naval mobilizations in eastern Mediterranean… will lead to a greater antagonism and distrust,” foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, calling the development “extremely worrying.”
The discovery of vast gas reserves in the region in recent years has sparked a prospecting scramble by Greece, Turkey and Egypt as well as Cyprus and Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Ankara’s resumption of operations on Friday, accusing arch-foe Greece of failing to keep its promises.
His comments came a day after Athens and Cairo signed an agreement to set up an exclusive economic zone in the region.
On Sunday, Borrell said “disputes must be solved in accordance with international law,” adding that Brussels was “committed to help solving such disputes and disagreements in this area of vital security interest.”
The deal between Greece and Egypt aimed to establish maritime boundaries between the two countries and appeared to be a direct response to a similar accord reached last November between Turkey and the UN-recognized government in Libya.
The agreement considerably enlarged Turkey’s maritime territory and drew accusations from several countries, led by Greece, that Ankara was trying to assert its dominance in the region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with visiting Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on June 4, 2020. Turkey and Libya agreed to further enhance their cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean over a deal made on maritime delimitation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday. (Xinhua)
