ANKARA, July 16. /TASS/. Ankara is determined to continue drilling off Cyprus despite the sanctions imposed by the European Union, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.
"If you make such decisions regarding Turkey, we will step up our activities. Now there are three of our ships in the Eastern Mediterranean, and we will dispatch the fourth one," he stressed.
The diplomat was certain that the European Union was aware of the fact that it was impossible to implement its decisions. He also stated that the EU’s decisions should not be taken seriously, because they were made to meet the interests of the Greek community in Cyprus.
On July 15, the European Union slapped sanctions on Ankara over drilling in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone where large deposits of natural gas had been discovered. Ankara, which challenges the zone’s borders, dispatched its Fatih vessel to the area, pledging that the drilling would continue until September 3.
On June 10, Cyprus authorized the arrest of the Turkish vessel’s crew. In spite of that, on July 4, Turkey sent the Yavuz vessel to the area.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara was ready to protect Turkish Cypriots' rights to the offshore deposits, even if it means utilizing the armed forces.