Çavuşoğlu: “We are doing what we need to protect our interests on the hydrocarbon issue”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that they are doing what is needed to protect their interests especially on the issue of hydrocarbon reserves both in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
He also touched upon the Cyprus issue at the conference organized by the Presidency of Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard Academy.
Stating that they endeavoured to secure a lasting solution in Cyprus, Çavuşoğlu said: “We also remind people who are dreaming, we have to remind them. Zero guarantees, zero troops cannot even be imagined, if you are dreaming such a dream, wake up’
Çavuşoğlu continued:
Making statements which increase the tension for no reason doesn’t achieve anything, so we are doing what we need to protect our interests especially on the issue of hydrocarbon reserves both in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
We are going to drill in the areas where the TRNC invites us and in our Exclusive Economic Zone. We previously carried out drilling with seismic vessels and Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, but now we also have a platform.
The first drilling began in Alanya-1 region. The second will also start in January 2019. We are starting there instead of the Black Sea. We will always protect the rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot people in the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus. The Aegean problems are also within this context.
