Turkey extends research vessel mission for gas hunt

ISTANBUL — Turkey has extended once again a research ship’s quest for gas in contested waters of the eastern Mediterranean as Greece warned the decision made a “constructive dialogue” even more unlikely.

The Turkish navy said in a message on the international maritime alert system NAVTEX late Saturday that the Oruc Reis would stay in the region until November 4.

It had previously said it would remain until Tuesday.

In a counter-message on NAVTEX, Greece deemed the Turkish activity as “unauthorised and illegal, in an area that overlaps the Greek continental shelf”.

Greek government spokesman, Stelios Petsas, said in an interview with Skai TV on Sunday that the latest move is “one more proof of Turkey’s lack of credibility even towards NATO”.

The Oruc Reis, escorted by military ships, has become the symbol of Ankara’s quest for natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean, where recent discoveries have triggered a rush for the resource.

Athens says Ankara is breaking international law by prospecting in Greek waters.

Turkey in August sent the exploratory ship into contested waters, alarming both Cyprus and Greece, which carried out military drills.

Tensions subsided after Turkey withdrew the ship in mid-September for what it said was maintenance work and agreed to exploratory talks with Greece.

But Ankara then sent the ship back into the area on October 12, angering Greece which said there could be no talks until it is withdrawn.

The Greek foreign ministry condemned what it called Turkey’s “unacceptable attitude” which it said “makes the prospect of a constructive dialogue even more distant”.

“Turkey is acting like a pariah country that wants the destabilisation of the area and the build-up of tensions,” said the ministry in a statement.

Ankara in response slammed Greece’s claim as “baseless”, saying the Oruc Reis carried out its search within Turkey’s continental shelf.

“We expect Greece to give up creating artificial reasons and laying down pre-conditions so as not to go into dialogue with our country,” said the foreign ministry in a statement.

The United States this month called the Turkish move a “calculated provocation” and demanded that Ankara withdraw the vessel.