Turkey Says Not to Bow to Sanctions on Its Drilling Activities

Fuat Oktay's remarks came at an event to mark the 45th anniversary of Turkey’s military operation in Cyprus.

The European Council published a final declaration Monday following a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council attended by foreign ministers of member states.

The council said in the statement that in light of Turkey’s "continued and new illegal drilling activities," it would suspend civil aviation negotiations and "agree not to hold the Association Council and further meetings of the EU-Turkey high-level dialogues for the time being".

Oktay said that Turkey has always stressed from the very beginning that the energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean should be used as an opportunity for peace and stability in the island, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkey would never hesitate to take the necessary steps to protect rights and interests of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots within their continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean, Oktay said, "Turkey is acting in unity as one heart and one voice on this issue."

"We have implemented all the steps that we have always strongly emphasized since the beginning and we will continue to do so," Oktay said referring to Turkey's drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to the resources in the area.

Since this spring, Ankara has sent two drilling vessels -- Fatih and most recently Yavuz -- to the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting the right of Turkey and the TRNC to the resources of the region.

Turkey’s first seismic vessel, the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa, bought from Norway in 2013, has been conducting exploration in the Mediterranean since April 2017.

Greece and Cyprus have opposed the move, threatening to arrest the ships’ crews and enlisting EU leaders to join their criticism.