On Saturday, Turkey issued a new navigation alert (NAVTEX) announcing that its drill ship Yavuz will continue its work exploring for energy resources off Cyprus. The NAVTEX said the Yavuz will operate between August 18 and September 15.
Following the Navtex for the Yavuz, Cyprus issued a “counter-Navtex.”
According to media, Cyprus announced that Turkey’s new Navtex is unauthorized and invalid, and the Yavuz drilling and its accompanying vessels’ activities in the region are illegal.
Navtex or Navigational Telex is a maritime communications system that allows ships to inform other vessels about their presence in an area, as well as other information.
Turkey last week resumed energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean after Greece and Egypt signed a controversial maritime delimitation deal.
The agreement came days after Ankara said it would postpone its oil and gas exploration as a goodwill gesture. Talks between the two countries are scheduled with the mediation of Germany that holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
While Turkey applies the only means it knows to achieve its goals, Greece has launched a major campaign to inform international organizations and bodies about Turkey’s illegal actions in the area.
