ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will issue seismic exploration and drilling licenses in new areas of the eastern Mediterranean by the end of August and continue its operations in the region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday, amid tensions with Greece.
NATO allies Turkey and Greece at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey sent a vessel on Monday to conduct a seismic survey in a disputed area in the region, a move which Greece said was illegal and stoked tensions.
Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, Cavusoglu said Turkey would issue new licenses for operations near the western borders of its continental shelf and continue “all sorts of seismic and drilling operations” in the area.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Dominic Evans)
