Turkey Extends Geological Exploration Off Cyprus Coast Until February 16 - Navy

ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th November, 2020) Turkey has issued a new Navtex advisory for extending the seismic exploration of hydrocarbon deposits southwest of Cyprus until February 16, the Turkish Office of Navigation, Hydrography and Oceanography said on Wednesday.

The advisory concerns the Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa research ship, accompanied by two more vessels. The current Navtex advisory expires on November 9.

Turkey has been engaged in a long-standing maritime border dispute with Greece and Cyprus over the size of their exclusive economic zones in the Eastern Mediterranean. Athens and Nicosia have voiced their strong objection to the presence of Turkish exploration vessels in waters that both Greece and Cyprus claim to be part of their respective exclusive economic zones. The scramble for exclusive rights to the area is exacerbated by the presence of� considerable gas deposits in the region.