Naharnet

Second Turkish Gas Mission to Start Wednesday

A Turkish gas prospecting vessel will set sail late Wednesday for a second exploration off the Cyprus coast, not far from a Greek Cypriot drilling zone, an expedition member said.

The Piri Reis, whose first venture caused much tension between Turkey and Cyprus, will prospect less than 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the Greek Cypriot site in the Mediterranean, mission coordinator Derman Dondurur told Anatolia news agency.

The ship will leave Wednesday evening from the Turkish Cypriot port of Famagusta, where it had been at anchor since October 4, he added.

During its previous exploration, the ship had been about 15 kilometers from the Cypriot Greek drilling platform, and "we were able to establish visual contact," Dondurur said.

"In this second phase, our work will take us very close to the platform."

On its first mission, the Piri Reis was constantly accompanied by at least one Turkish warship and was surveyed by Turkish aircraft, and "it will be the same thing during the second phase," said the scientist.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops occupied the island's northern third in response to an Athens-inspired Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece.

Regional tensions have been rising after the internationally-recognized Cyprus government made a deal with U.S. energy firm Noble for exploratory drilling off the southern coast of the divided Mediterranean island.

In retaliation, Turkey sent the Piri Reis to the region in September after signing an accord with the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which only Ankara recognizes, for gas exploration.

Turkey says the Cyprus government, which it does not recognize, has no right to conduct offshore energy search so long as U.N.-backed talks on reunifying the island are ongoing.

Source: Agence France Presse


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