The Turkey-Cyprus-Ankara maritime relations are already very strained, and if the latest developments are anything to go by, they might not resolve as soon as expected.
According to several sources, the Turkish survey ship Barbaros was spotted off of Cyprus’ western coast, post Ankara’s issuance of navigational telex which stated the country’s intention to conduct gas exploration inside Cyprus’s special economic zone.
The vessel was spotted in a location that lies 70 nautical miles off the island nation’s western coast – somewhere between Crete and Paphos. Ironically, this happened less than a day after Washington urging Turkey to not take actions which would further exacerbate tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.
