Greece should avoid acts that will accelerate tensions in the Mediterranean Sea, said Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry on late Thursday.
The Ministry noted in a written statement that a Greek frigate interfering in the activity of a Turkish research vessel working in the eastern Mediterranean has been blocked by the Turkish navy.
According to the statement, Turkey's seismic and drilling vessel Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa began conducting research activity on the Turkish continental shelf in the Mediterranean on Thursday morning.
The Ministry warned Greece about the bilateral relations and "good neighborhood" and called on Greece to abstain from the acts that would cause an escalation in the region. It said that Turkey will continue to defend the rights stemming from international law.
Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling activity in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the resources around the area.
(Anadolu Agency)
