Latest Revision June 21, 2019, 5:52 AM
AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici
FILE – Two oil tankers, Ottoman Dignity, Turkish, right, and Sandra Tapias, Spanish, wait at Ceyhan oil terminal on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast Sunday, June 22, 2003.
The search for marine wealth has rekindled dormant rivalries between the EU and Turkey
The European Union threatened to impose sanctions if Turkey did not halt the “illegal” drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus.
Turkey on Thursday launched a second oil drilling ship to conduct natural gas operations off the northeast Cyprus coast for three months, a provocative move likely to cause conflict with neighboring Cyprus over oil and gas jurisdiction rights.
“The European Council endorses the invitation to the Commission and the EEAS (the EU’s foreign service) to submit options for appropriate measures without delay, including targeted measures,” the leaders said.
“The EU will continue to closely monitor developments and stands ready to respond appropriately and in full solidarity with Cyprus.”
The area is believed to have rich natural gas deposits, part of a larger field that has become a major boon for the region as a whole, and the EU has already warned Ankara to stop the “illegal drilling activities.”
The search for marine wealth has rekindled dormant rivalries between the EU and Turkey, with the issue of Cyprus once again pitting the former prospective member against the union.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned Ankara it could expect tough action.
“What Turkey is doing in the territorial waters of Cyprus is totally unacceptable,” Juncker told reporters after the summit.
“The commission has been charged to propose measures to be taken as soon as possible when it comes to this conflict and we’ll do so, and these will not be soft measures.”
Ankara says its actions abide by international law and that it is drilling inside its continental shelf.
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