"Turkish threats are not new, but we must be well prepared," he said.
The second Turkish research vessel, the Oruç Reis, is preparing to set sail for the Mediterranean to conduct three-dimensional seismic surveys in the region, the Turkish Energy Minister said.
Calmness and sobriety were recommended by the Minister of Energy George Lakkotrypis, when asked to comment on the provocative reports of the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding the energy program of the Republic of Cyprus, noting that the Turkish threats are not something new.
"Turkey did the same, both in 2011, in the drilling of Noble Energy, and in 2012, in the announcement of the second round of licensing, while it is doing the same now," he said yesterday, after a meeting with a delegation. of the CCCI at the Ministry of Energy, adding:
"We have to deal with them calmly, with sobriety and we definitely have to be well prepared." Asked if he sees an escalation of threats, with the repetition of the scenario for the descent of the research vessel "Barbaros" and the freezing of activities in the EEZ, Mr. Lakkotrypis said that "the reason why the activities froze was not the challenges of Turkey" but " the failed drillings in block 9 "and the subsequent discovery of" Zor ", which changed the data.
He added that "we proceeded with the third round of licensing, the results of which you have seen recently." As he said, "our effort has been and will continue to be the alignment of interests in our energy policy." For this reason, he continued, we paid special attention to the recent developments for the EastMed pipeline, since "the interests of both Italy and the EU are aligned", while we tried and succeeded in attracting giant companies in the third round of licensing to to be active in our EEZ ".
The Oruç Reis is coming
At the same time, however, the second Turkish research vessel, the Oruç Reis, is heading for the Mediterranean this month to conduct three-dimensional seismic surveys in the region. According to the Turkish daily Sabah, Ankara's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak announced Turkey's national energy strategy last Thursday, prompting oil exploration as the most important part of the new policy.
During an inspection at the General Directorate of Mining Exploration & Exploration (MTA) where the ship is located just days before its departure, Albayrak said: "With the Barbaros in the Black Sea and the Oruç Reis in the Mediterranean this month we will conduct non-stop simultaneous two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic surveys in our two seas ".
"Aggressive" investigation process
Noting that Turkey is surrounded on three sides by the Marmara Sea, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, Albayrak stressed that intensive research will be carried out during the exploration and drilling process in Turkey: "By the grace of God, at the latest on April 16 we will complete and launch our ships into the sea. We have recently taken our first steps with 'Barbaros'.
"We named the second Oruç Reis so that they are like two brothers," Albayrak said, adding that there will soon be a more aggressive exploration and drilling process in Turkey as part of the country's National Energy Policy. Historically, it is worth noting that Oruç Reis was, in the 16th century, an Ottoman ruler of Algeria and commander-in-chief of the Western Mediterranean, and was the older brother of Jaredin Barbarossa.
The "Great" and "Strong" Turkey
According to the Turkish newspaper, Albirarak said he would monitor drilling activities that have begun and that they hope for a more intensive drilling strategy in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region by the end of the month. "We will witness developments in the seas around us in the coming years which will be more tangible and pleasant for our country.
"The more we search and work, the more we will find," he said, adding that for this reason they will call it "Greater Turkey" or "Strong Turkey", as the country's policy aims to systematically solve Turkey's infrastructure problems, especially in energy policies over the last 15 years. He said, "We will become one of the top 10 economies in the world."
It bothers the plot 6
Regarding Cyprus, "Sabah" notes that the "Greek Cypriot administration", as it characterizes the Republic of Cyprus, has already started a bidding process for research activities on plots 6, 8 and 10, provoking the wrath of the Turkish Foreign Policy Authorities. , which, as reported, claim that a significant part of block 6 is located below the Turkish continental shelf.
In addition, it is noted that due to the dispute with Turkey, the exploitation and export of the discovered gas has not been allowed for either use or trade.
20.000 meters below the sea
The publication states that, with the two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic surveys that will be carried out, it will be possible to examine at a depth of 20.000 meters at the seabed.
There are also on-board mapping systems that allow researchers to take samples from the seabed for hydrographic and oceanographic studies.
"With a wired robotic system on board operating under the sea, it will be possible to conduct seismic observations and export samples at depths of up to 1.500 meters."
Source: SigmaLive