Turkey conveyed Greek ambassador area of new mission by Oruç Reis

ANKARA

The information about the new research area of Oruç Reis has been conveyed to the Greek ambassador in Ankara, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy said on Oct. 25, stressing that the region is located entirely within the Turkish continental shelf.

In a written statement, Aksoy recalled that the Greek Foreign Ministry had published a “groundless” statement, which claimed that Turkey’s seismic survey activities within her continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean were conducted within the Greek continental shelf instead, labeling these activities as “illegal.”

The area, where Oruç Reis has been conducting seismic survey activities, is located entirely within the Turkish continental shelf, which has been defined on the basis of international law and accordingly has been notified to the United Nations, said the spokesperson.

“The issue at hand was also explicitly conveyed to the Ambassador of Greece in Ankara, once again on Oct. 23,” said the official.

The current area of operations, where Oruç Reis will be carrying out seismic research between Oct. 25 and Nov. 4, is located 440 kilometers away from mainland Greece and only 130 kilometers away from Turkey, he stated.

“Turkey, as she has always been, is ready for dialogue and cooperation towards a solution based on equity, where the legitimate rights of both Turkey and Turkish Cypriots’ in the eastern Mediterranean are secured,” Aksoy noted.

“We also expect Greece to desist from devising factitious grounds and extending preconditions in order to avoid engaging in dialogue with Turkey,” he added.

Turkey has issued another navigational telex or Navtex on Oct. 24 for seismic research activities of its Oruç Reis ship in the south of Rhodes Island of the eastern Mediterranean.

According to the naval maritime notice, the mission of the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel will continue for 10 days, starting from Oct. 25 onwards.

In August, Turkey resumed energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean after Greece and Egypt had signed a controversial maritime delimitation deal.

Declaring the Greek-Egyptian deal “null and void,” Turkey authorized the Oruç Reis to continue its activities in an area within Turkey’s continental shelf.