Egypt warns Turkey against drilling in Cyprus’ economic zone

Mohamed Samir
2 Min Read

Egypt warned against intentions of Turkey to begin drilling activities in a maritime area west of Cyprus, according to a Saturday statement issued by Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement added that Egypt is following the development, warning against the effects of any unilateral actions on security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

On Friday, Turkey sent out a message on NAVTEX, the international maritime navigational telex system, announcing that its vessels would start drilling operations in the Mediterranean until September.

The move was denounced by Cypriot foreign ministry on Saturday, calling Turkey’s bid to drill for natural gas in waters where the island nation has exclusive economic rights “a flagrant violation” of its sovereignty under international law.

Moreover, European Union High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini urged Turkey to reconsider plans to start exploratory drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus, already condemned as illegal by the European Union.

Earlier in 2018, Egypt’s foreign ministry said that Turkey will face a confrontation from Egypt if it does not respect Cairo’s rights for gas exploration deal with Greek and Cyprus.

Egypt has signed a maritime border demarcation agreement in 2013 with Cyprus for digging for oil in the zone.

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Mohamed Samir Khedr is an economic and political journalist, analyst, and editor specializing in geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean. For the past decade, he has covered Egypt's and the MENA region's financial, business, and geopolitical updates. Currently, he is the Executive Editor of the Daily News Egypt, where he leads a team of journalists in producing high-quality, in-depth reporting and analysis on the region's most pressing issues. His work has been featured in leading international publications. Samir is a highly respected expert on the Middle East and Africa, and his insights are regularly sought by policymakers, academics, and business leaders. He is a passionate advocate for independent journalism and a strong believer in the power of storytelling to inform and inspire. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Moh_S_Khedr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohamed-samir-khedr/