Yavuz

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has slammed Turkey's activity in the Eastern Mediterranean saying that Ankara is questioning Cyprus' sovereignty.
"We are playing on the chessboard of international law. It would be an act of absolute folly to return to time of 19th century gunboats," Dendias told Proto Thema radio station on Wednesday.

Tension mounted in the Eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday as the Turkish Navy practically encircled Cyprus with almost 20 vessels, including frigates and submarines. 

Turkey's Yavuz drilling vessel, which has reached the Güzelyurt-1 well location in the Mediterranean Sea, will start its drilling activities in a couple of days, the energy and natural resources minister has said.

Turkey's intention to conduct a new round of offshore drilling within the Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is "completely contrary to any notion of legality," Greece said on Friday, after a Turkish diplomat announced drill ship Yavuz would start work on October 7.

Turkish drill ship Yavuz will start a new round of offshore drilling operations in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Cyprus, on October 7, a Turkish diplomat said on Friday, after Cyprus condemned Turkey's move to send its ship to the region.

In yet another blatant violation of Cyprus' sovereignty, Turkey on Thursday sent its Yavuz drillship to an area off the west coast of the island and within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to prospect for hydrocarbons.

The area, which is in Block 7 of the island's EEZ, has already been licensed for exploration to the French-Italian consortium of Total and Eni.

Nicosia is closely monitoring the course of Turkish drillship Yavuz within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus, though a government source told CNA that there is nothing to announce at the moment, as the final destination of the drillship remains unknown.

The Turkish drillship Yavuz has withdrawn from the coastal waters off Cyprus, just south of the Karpasia (Kaspas) peninsula where it had aimed to prospect for hydrocarbons, it emerged on Tuesday. 

The vessel moved to the Turkish port of Tasucu and is now located opposite the Karpasia peninsula for reasons that remained unclear. 

Turkey may acquire a third drillship, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been quoted as saying amid lingering tension in the Eastern Mediterranean over natural gas resources off ethnically-divided Cyprus.

Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou has welcomed calls by the US State Department late Monday for Turkey's Yavuz drillship to cease its activities off Cyprus' northeastern coast and its removal from the island's territorial waters.