Ankara will protect Turkish Cypriots’ rights to gas in E. Mediterranean, Erdogan warns

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Ankara is determined to protect Turkish Cypriots’ rights to gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean, AP reported.

He was speaking on Friday, days after Cyprus had renegotiated a contract with a consortium made up of Shell, Texas-Based Noble Energy and Israel’s Delek, which paves the way for the exploitation of an offshore field. It is estimated to hold 4.1 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Ankara says such agreements breach the rights of breakaway Turkish Cypriots to potential hydrocarbon deposits, and that it is conducting its own exploratory drilling around the island.