Erdogan challenges Europe: Ankara ignores sanctions, drills for gas in Cyprus

Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not tired of taking steps that will put pressure on European countries, believing that this will bring him closer to realizing his dream and to join the European Union.

Turkish threats to Europe have increased. After receiving financial aid in exchange for backing down on his threats to open the border and send thousands of Syrian refugees to Europe, Erdogan is pursuing his ambitions and robbing gas off the coast of Cyprus.

Continuing its violations of international laws that deny access to the territorial waters of sovereign states, Ankara announced the start of gas exploration off the northeast coast of Cyprus on Friday, November 15 with the ship Fatih.

In turn, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said in an official statement that Ankara was present in the region for the first time after the Yavuz ship was sent to the west coast of Cyprus and joined the Barbaros and Oruc Reis ships in the region.

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez said on Thursday, October 3 via tweet, “ Yavuz began a journey towards the Guzelyurt-1 well in order to conduct exploration. We will not stop supporting Turkey’s natural resources to serve its people.”

Confrontation with Europe

The European Union announced on November 11 a new system to impose sanctions on Turkey, after Ankara continued illegal drilling in the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus, stressing that it will impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in exploration activities, especially hydrocarbon exploration operations.

According to the EU statement, the sanctions include travel bans, asset freezes, and denial of entry to EU countries. Member states can also submit the names of entities and individuals involved in Turkish illegal exploration for consideration and inclusion on the new sanctions list, according to AP.

Precursor of war

On the other hand, former US diplomat Eric Edelman said in an interview with the National Interest that the situation in the eastern Mediterranean has become dangerous. Ankara is trying to exercise and demonstrate its power over its neighbors in this region, especially Cyprus, taking advantage for some time of the decline in the US role and the existence of differences with its military allies in this region.

Ankara dreams of occupying the gas fields in this region due to the economic crises they are going through, Edelman said, adding that the region has flared up as a result, especially as Turkey’s neighbors have concluded major arms deals, foreshadowing wars in the eastern Mediterranean.