 |
| Parliament of Greece |
The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that Greece and Cyprus will ask to European partners to sanction Turkey if it is discovered that Ankara has started extracting gas at West Cyprus. The discovery of lucrative energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has raised tensions between Turkey and Greece. A gas extraction vessel has been anchored to the West of Cyprus since May. Cyprus and Greece announce that the vessel has entered the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus, an area that the country uses for trade. According to politicians in Turkey, this area is part of their territory.
"We agreed to prepare for next week, so the European Union Summit will take the right decision, including Turkey's sanctioning if it is discovered that it has extracted gas into the exclusive area of Cyprus," Tsipras said.
Greece is a close ally of the Cypriot government, led by Nicos Anastasiades, and is in conflict with the neighboring Turkey on issues related to the Aegean Sea air space and the right to use the minerals.
