No oil extraction in eastern Mediterranean without Turkey and Libya's agreement, says Erdogan
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara on Thursday that no one can extract oil from the maritime areas of the Mediterranean covered by the Turkey-Libya Agreement without the consent of Ankara and the legal government of Tripoli.
Mr. Erdogan, speaking at a meeting assessing the measures taken by the Turkish government in 2019, added that under the agreement between Turkey and the Tripoli government, it is no longer possible to extract or smuggle pipelines through maritime areas covered by the Agreement without the approval of Turkey and Libya.
Turkey will issue permits in 2020 for oil extraction in the areas under consideration, he said, adding, "We are now sending our soldiers to Libya to protect the legal government and restore peace and stability in Libya."
The Turkish President reaffirmed Turkey's determination to protect the interests of the Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Mediterranean, stating that his country will not allow the elimination of Turkey and Northern Cyprus from the eastern Mediterranean and oil extraction activities in the area.
-0- PANA AT/IN/JSG/BBA/MA 17Jan2020
