President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned foreign energy companies not to “overstep the mark” in the Mediterranean, after Turkey’s warships blocked an Italian drilling vessel seeking to begin exploration for gas off Cyprus.

The growing standoff between Turkey and Cyprus over exploiting energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean risks further complicating stalled efforts to reunify the island following the collapse of peace talks last year.

“Don’t think that we have ignored the opportunistic attempts to search for natural gas in Cyprus waters and Aegean coast,” Erdogan said in a televised speech to his party in parliament.

“We warn those overstepping the mark with miscalculations in Cyprus and the Aegean,” Erdogan added.

Source: AFP