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Source: Arab.net
The Turkish exploration ship withdrew from its position off the coast of Cyprus and headed north towards the Turkish ports, to be the second exploration ship that Turkey is pulling from the eastern Mediterranean, after it sparked a serious crisis with Greece. and Cyprus, which almost turned into military clashes.
According to these sources, the Turkish exploration vessel that was withdrawn Monday, with the name of Yavuz, was located in Block No. 6 of the same area (disputed between Cyprus and Turkey) and was supposed to remain until 12 of this month, but it was withdrawn before that, indicating that A possible easing of tensions by Ankara, and the withdrawn ship arrived at the port of Tasucu in the Turkish province of Mersin this morning.
The first Turkish drillship left its site in the southwestern Republic of Cyprus on Sunday for the first time in several months, raising hopes of easing tensions on natural gas reserves, according to the Turkish newspaper “Ahwal “.
The ship had been drilling for natural gas off Cyprus without government approval in Nicosia.
Nicosia officials said they did not know where the ship was heading. If the ship continues its course north, this could be another sign of easing of tensions.
The Turkish exploration vessel, Brabaros Hayrettin Pasa, remains anchored in Block No. 3 of the EEZ in southeastern Cyprus, and will remain there until 18 this month, according to Greek and Cypriot military sources who also indicated that the Cypriot Navy is monitoring this vessel from closely.
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Ankara and Nicosia have been in conflict for years over the special economic zone around Cyprus.
It should be noted that Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus and refuses to explore for natural gas as long as the Turkish Cyprus does not agree to this and the dispute over the general status of Cyprus has not been resolved.
The Nicosia government carried out the first gas well exploration and discovered gas fields in the south of the island.
More excavations are planned for 2021.
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Differences between Turkey, Cyprus, Turkey and Greece over natural gas reserves have intensified in recent months.
The leaders of the European Union meeting in Brussels last Friday sent a strong message to Turkey, accompanied by a threat to impose sanctions, if they did not stop the illegal exploration operations in the territorial waters of Cyprus.
The European Union decided not to impose sanctions on Turkey for the time being, regarding the dispute over energy resources in the Mediterranean, but warned Ankara that still more punitive measures could be taken if it violated international law again.
The debate among the leaders of the European Union intensified on Thursday night on the formulation of a common position towards Turkey that would be acceptable to Greece and Cyprus.
Cyprus demanded that the option of imposing sanctions on Ankara be clearly mentioned in the conclusions of the meeting on the relationship between the bloc and Turkey, and stipulated the development of specific measures or a threat that is “clear and timely”, according to identical sources. .
For its part, Greece wants Europeans to resort to a “carrot and stick” policy, offering to open up to Ankara, especially on the issue of the customs union, while at the same time hinting at punitive measures should Turkey continue its actions. previously condemned by the European Union, according to a Greek diplomatic source.
In a display of the desire for calm, an agreement was reached on Thursday in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) between Greece and Turkey on a mechanism to avoid conflicts.
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