Turkey will buy a new drilling rig from South Korea, Yeni Safak reports.
According to the report, Ankara was also discussing with a Norwegian company the purchase of a drilling rig, which did not go ahead as the company was worried about any problems that would arise if Turkey used it to drill in the Mediterranean.
Turkey eventually turned to the South Koreans for the purchase of the ship, which is said to be a 7th generation, who according to the report have no problem if its drill goes to the Black Sea or the Mediterranean.
Yeni Safak states that Turkey intends to drill in the Black Sea for natural gas, but in case Greece and the Greek Cypriots increase the “tension” and the “harassment” then it will direct its ships to the Eastern Mediterranean.
As the SKAI correspondent in Turkey Manolis Kostidis explained, any movement of drilling rigs to the Eastern Mediterranean will not be aimed at exploration and deposits, but will be in response to the movements of Athens and Nicosia in the region.
Annoyance in the Turkish media and for the American presence in Alexandroupolis
At the same time, there are many reports in the Turkish media expressing the discomfort for the strengthening of the US presence in Alexandroupolis.
The reports speak of a “message” of Greeks and Americans to Ankara while at the same time repeating the narrative of a “Turkish” minority in Thrace.
Characteristic of the report from the news bulletin of the TGRT Haber network:
“In fact, these areas are very important here. Xanthi and Alexandroupolis, in front of the nose of Turkey, on the border. There are reports that the US is making a large transfer of forces to Xanthi and Alexandroupolis. They send tanks, fighters, ships. There is a concentration of forces here. There were already US forces in the area and now their presence is growing. There are already reports of 200 tanks being sent. As in Xanthi, where there is a dense “Turkish” minority, the US and Greece are holding joint exercises. “There is a clear message here in Turkey.”
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