Istanbul, Aug. 9, (dpa/GNA) - Turkey is to send off a new oil and gas drilling vessel to the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday as planned, the Anadoly news agency report.
The mission of the new vessel, the Abdülhamid Han, risks a rekindling of a dispute with Greece about gas rights.
NATO partners Turkey and Greece have long been at loggerheads about gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean.
Athens accuses Ankara of illegally exploring for gas deposits off Greek islands. The Turkish government rejects the accusations and takes the view that the gas exploration is legal. There is a similar conflict with Cyprus.
In 2020, the dispute escalated after Turkey sent its research vessel Oruç Reis to the eastern Mediterranean on a months-long search for gas.
Greece strongly condemned the exploration and massively rearmed in response.
The EU has also repeatedly condemned Turkey’s activities and imposed sanctions because of drilling off Cyprus.
Whether the Abdülhamid Han will actually sail into disputed waters is unclear.
Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez tweeted over the weekend that the ship was counting down the days until it could set sail for the deep Mediterranean.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday that no actions directed against the country would be allowed in Turkey’s sovereign territories. According to Anadolu, the Abdülhamid Han is one of four Turkish drilling vessels.
GNA