Greek Prime Minister Says Turkish Gas Drilling Undermining EU Energy Efforts - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - During a meeting of EU leaders at a crucial United Nations climate change summit in Madrid on 2 December, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned Turkish hydrocarbon drilling off the coast of Cyprus, arguing that it undermined EU efforts to embrace renewable energy sources, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.

Addressing EU leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid on Monday, the Greek prime minister criticised Turkish exploratory gas drilling in the eastern Mediterranean, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.

Mitsotakis stated that Turkish gas drilling could be explained by the fact that natural gas will be highly depended upon to be a transitional fuel source, as states begin to embrace renewable energy sources in the medium and long term, the Greek daily said.

Consequently, the Greek prime minister called on the European Union to pay more attention to the eastern Mediterranean, in order to assess how Turkish drilling is undermining EU attempts to increase fuel production from renewable sources, the newspaper reported.

A day earlier, Mitsotakis announced that he would also raise his country’s grievances against Turkey at the upcoming NATO summit in London, due to be held from 3-4 December.

In October, Egypt, Cyprus and Greece urged Turkey to abandon explanatory gas drilling off the Cyprus coast, after Ankara announced it had sent the Yavuz drillship to an area where Greek Cypriot authorities had already awarded exploration rights to European companies. Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to continue drilling off the coast of Cyprus.