Turkey warns firms for Greek Cyprus gas

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu DAILY NEWS photo

Turkey warned 15 companies, who submitted bids in a fresh Greek Cypriot tender for oil exploration in disputed areas of the Mediterranean, to withdraw from the project.

“The companies which cooperate with GKRY [the Greek Cypriot administration] will not be included in energy projects in Turkey in the future,” a Foreign Ministry statement said yesterday.

Turkey’s warning came after Greek Cyprus announced that 29 companies had made 15 bids for exploratory drilling in a second round of licensing to exploit offshore oil and gas deposits despite strong objections from Turkey. Russia’s Novatec, Italy’s ENI, France’s Total and Malaysia’s Petronas, ATP of the US, Canada’s Petra Petroleum, Israel’s Delek and Britain’s Vitol are among 15 firms and consortiums seeking a license to carry out exploratory drilling off Cyprus Island.

The statement said the exploration was an abuse of the rights of Turkish Cypriots to the same resources. Some areas of the new bid overlaps Turkey’s continental shelf in the Mediterranean, the statement said. “As expressed before, Turkey will not allow any activity on these areas,” the foreign ministry said.