Middle Eastern countries

The leaders of France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain on Friday expressed their unreserved support for the Republic of Cyprus' right to drill for gas in its exclusive economic zone and called on Turkey to respect international law and the principles of good neighborly relations.

Turkey has protested over the Greek Cyprus' decision to issue international arrest warrants for crew members of Turkish drilling vessel "Fatih" and officials at firms partnered with state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TP) and vowed to retaliate by taking legal action on the matter.

The second Turkish drillship that will be dispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Yavuz, will be protected by frigates, according to comments Friday by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who reiterated that Ankara will protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots regarding drilling and exploration in the region.

Highlighting Ankara's intentions in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said Monday that the Yavuz vessel will be ready set sail to the area in July in order to begin drilling activities.
He added that the Yavuz is set join the Fatih drillship, which is currently illegally located in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Turkey may deploy a long-range S-400 missile-defense system it is expecting to receive from Russia along the southern Turkish coast, across from Cyprus, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

In what is seen as part of a concerted effort by Ankara to entrench its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey issued a navigational telex Thursday reserving a sea area within its territorial waters north of Cyprus for drilling activities until mid-June.

Saudi Arabia's deputy defence minister, Khalid bin Salman, on May 16 accused Iran of ordering drone attacks on two of its oil pumping stations that were claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels.

Both the current administration and the next will be called upon to manage Greek-Turkish relations at their most critical phase since the invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

In the latest sign of Turkey's expansionist ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Ankara - including a Greek Embassy official - who were briefed about the country's plans for offshore drilling operations were shown maps that violated the sovereign territory of Greece and Cyprus.

The European Union has expressed its "grave concern" and pledged to "respond appropriately and in full solidarity" with Cyprus in response to Turkey's plans to conduct drilling operations within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).