Erdogan warns foreign companies of gas drilling near Cyprus

ANKARA, Feb 13 (AFP): Turkish 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.
Italy's energy giant ENI said its ship had been ordered to stop by Turkish ships last week over "military activities in the destination area" as it was on course to start exploring in block 3 of Cyprus's exclusive economic zone.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the northern third of the island in response to a Greek military junta-sponsored coup.
While Greek-majority Republic of Cyprus is internationally recognised, the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Ankara.