Turkey plans to send fourth survey ship to East Med in response to EU sanctions

Responding to sanctions announced by the European Union over Turkey's drilling activities within Cyprus' territorial waters, Ankara on Tuesday said that it will dispatch a fourth vessel, the Oruc Reis, to the region.

"If you [EU] take such decisions against Turkey, we will increase activities. We already have three ships in the Eastern Mediterranean and will send a fourth as soon as possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference in the North Macedonian capital of Skopje during a two-day visit.

He added that the EU "should understand that they cannot cope with Turkey [using] such methods."

"We decide [about] what we will do in our own continental shelf," Cavusoglu said, stressing that as long as the rights of the Turkish Cypriots are not guaranteed, "we will continue to increase our activities there."

Reports Tuesday...

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