Italy has dismissed reports that it is in talks with Turkey negotiating joint drilling in the sea area of Libya. In a statement, the Italian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday:
Rumors in the press, according to which Italy is allegedly negotiating with Turkey the terms for the exploitation of Libya’s oil resources following the Memorandum of Understanding between Ankara and Tripoli on the delimitation of continental platforms, are unfounded.
Italy has believed for long that the exploitation of the energy resources in the Mediterranean area should be seen as an opportunity to be seized through the cooperation of all Mediterranean States.
In order to achieve this, it is necessary to start negotiations between all the parties involved, especially regarding the theme of the delimitation of maritime areas. That is what we have stated for months and during each meeting before the Turkish authorities.
The Italian statement comes with two days delay and follows the relevant statement by the Greek government spokesman earlier on Tuesday.
