Despite Turkish reservations, Qatar, ExxonMobil plan oil drilling off Cyprus

Following Qatar’s signing of a deal with US petroleum company ExxonMobil in 2017 to explore oil and gas off the coast of Cyprus, a Turkish energy expert said that Turkish President Erdogan should warn Qatar of going ahead with the deal as Turkey is known for blocking oil exploration on their territory, according to Ahval News newspaper.

Turkish Coast Guard vessels had prevented the Italian energy company, Eni, from drilling near Cyprus, which caused tensions to rise between both countries.

The Turkish president had also issued a warning to energy companies, Greece and Cyprus from drilling on Turkish territory, the newspaper reported.

However, the Qatari company, Qatar Petroleum, will now go ahead with their plans of drilling operations along with ExxonMobil according to their deal which they announced in 2017.

Turkey had protested for sovereignty over the 10th parcel as an exclusive economic region, Pamir, who is a world energy politics professor at Bilkent University in Turkey, told the newspaper. Turkish vessels had collided with Greek vessels in that area.

“A potential conflict over the 10th block will further escalate the already shaky international relations between Turkey, and the US,” the newspaper reported Pamir as saying.