At a news conference in Ankara, Spain’s foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya, alongside her Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, announced that an effective point had been reached on the dispute over drilling for oil and gas, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
She added that talks had helped reduce tensions between some EU members and Ankara over Turkish energy exploration in the Mediterranean; adding that a one-month pause in drilling was possible.
“We have reached some inflexion point, mainly on the drilling in the eastern Mediterranean. This was a useful dialogue with Mevlut to de-escalate the tensions that exist”, Gonzalez Laya said.
“I think the fact this will pause exploration for at least a month to give space to dialogue between parties is a signal of confidence,” she said.
Cavusoglu did not mention any plans to pause explorations, and Turkey’s foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment.
Last week, Turkey’s navy issued an advisory for seismic surveys at sea. A move Greece said was an attempt to encroach on its continental shelf.
Laya reiterated her call to all parties to respect the arms embargo imposed on Libya by air, land, and sea. French President, Emmanuel Macron, said that the EU should also take action against Turkey over its role in Libya’s conflict.