Turkey announces new maneuvers in front of Cyprus

Turkey announced that it will hold a naval maneuver with live ammunition off the coast of Cyprus between Saturday and Monday, in a new escalation despite the European Union threatening to impose sanctions on it.

12 September, 2020 11:44

NEWS DESK

In a message to the international maritime telex system "NAVTEX", Turkey said that there will be firing exercises off the coast of Sadr Akzam Koi in northern Cyprus.

The announcement comes after southern European leaders warned on Thursday that they are ready to support European Union sanctions against Turkey if Ankara evades dialogue, and this issue will be discussed again at the European Union summit on 24 and 25 September.

Turkey, Greece and Cyprus are in dispute over hydrocarbon resources and maritime influence in the eastern Mediterranean, which raises fears of a more intense conflict.

Western reports had revealed earlier that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked the Turkish army to fabricate an accident with Greece to invest it internally, but he was surprised by the refusal of the army officers.