Turkey has resumed offshore gas exploration in disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean after a two-year hiatus, a move that is expected to stoke regional tensions.
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Turkey on Tuesday sent its newest drill ship on the first eastern Mediterranean energy exploration mission in nearly two years.The search for natural gas in energy-rich waters around the divided island of Cyprus has turned into an irritant in Turkey's ties with the European Union. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Abdulhamid Han drill ship the fourth built by Turkey will be sent to an undisputed area about 55 kilometres (34 miles) south of the city of Gazipasa.
ISTANBUL, Aug 9 (Reuters) – Turkey resumed its hydrocarbon drilling operations in the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday after a two year hiatus, though President Tayyip Erdogan said its new drill ship would operate.
Turkey is embroiled in acrimonious disputes with Greece and Cyprus over maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights, which triggered high tensions in the eastern Mediterranean two years ago.