Turkey will start drilling around Cyprus, says Cavusoglu

Turkey plans to start drilling for hydrocarbons around Cyprus, the country's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a briefing of a Turkish parliamentary committee on Wednesday, according to the Independent Balkan News Agency (IBNA).

“Together with the new platform that will reach the area, we also start drilling around Cyprus. Our ship the Conqueror started drilling in the Alanya-1 plot. Our second ship will soon arrive. We will send it around Cyprus to begin work,” he was quoted as saying by IBNA.

“We are not against drilling around Cyprus. But we must also ensure the rights of Turkish Cypriots here. This is what we expect from both the EU and the international community,” he added.