Erdogan reportedly announces intention to drill off Crete
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Ankara’s intention to drill for gas off the southern coast of Crete, Greek media were reporting on Tuesday, citing Turkey’s TRT broadcaster.
According to reports, Erdogan displayed a map illustrating Turkey’s intention in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying it “is where history is being written.”
Pointing to a spot on the map just south of Crete, Erdogan reportedly said that it shows the start of a “block” uniting the Turkish and Libyan maritime zones under the recent agreement signed between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.
“We can drill comfortably up to here,” Erdogan reportedly said, pointing to the spot.
“The entire continental shelf above this line belongs to Turkey,” he added after illustrating the extent of Libya’s exclusive economic zone within that “block.”
“Greece’s hands have been tied by the agreement with Libya and it’s driving it crazy,” Erdogan was reported as saying in translated comments.
