After Ankara had initially advertised its drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean and even within the Cypriot EEZ, today it admits that it has not found anything exploitable.
“We have not found anything, but we will continue,” Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said of the illegal searches and drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, calling the areas “Turkish jurisdiction”.
“Mr. Donmez spoke to a private television station, where he referred to the Black Sea deposits, saying that they can meet 1/3 of Turkey's annual domestic needs.”
In particular, speaking about the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey's illegal actions, Mr. Dolmez said:
“Over there we did eight drillings for 2-3 years and we could not find anything tangible. We found some signs but they were not economical. Our seismic studies continue. Of course with the discovery in the Black Sea we focused on that side because of the intensity of the business plan there, but that does not mean that we neglected the Mediterranean and will not go there again. We will continue our activities in our own areas of maritime jurisdiction “.
