Turkey
will
continue searching for gas and oil in the
Mediterranean
,
where the rival Greek Cypriot government has already started drilling, the
Turkish energy minister said Thursday.
"We will not leave the
Mediterranean
.
There are zones that we had spotted earlier," Taner Yildiz was quoted as
saying by the
Anatolia
news agency.
"There are seven designated zones, which are off almost the whole
island," said Huseyin Ozgurgun, foreign minister of the breakaway
Turkish
Republic
of
Northern
Cyprus
,
which is only recognized by
Turkey
,
added.
The Turkish vessel Piri Reis, which is carrying out the research, can operate
"wherever it wants," Ozgurgun told a press conference in
Ankara
,
where he held official talks Thursday.
Ozgurgun said that if Greek Cypriots found undersea resources, Turkish Cypriots
wouldn't stop them. "We can also find [oil or gas]," he said.
Regional tensions have been rising after the internationally recognized
Cyprus
government made a deal with
U.S.
energy firm Noble Corp. (NE) for exploratory drilling for gas off the southern
coast of the divided Mediterranean island.
In retaliation,
Turkey
sent
the Piri Reis to the region after signing an accord with the TRNC for gas
exploration in designated areas off the island.
Yildiz stressed that
Turkey
wouldn't start drilling if the Piri Reis failed to obtain positive data in a
designated zone. "But there are other zones we will conduct drilling in
the
Mediterranean
. We will not leave the Mediterranean," he said.