Turkey: They blame Erdogan for not taking the Abdulhamid Khan vessel out for drilling

Criticisms against the Turkish president continue Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the opposition, because he does not dare to take out for drilling the vessel “Abdulhamid Khan” in the areas of the so-called “Blue Homeland”. The newspaper Sozcu, entitled “Don’t be silent about the occupation of the Eastern Mediterranean”, presents extensively the relevant objections of the opposition MP Aytoun Chirai. There is talk of a “remarkable change” in the Turkish drilling activity in the Eastern Mediterranean, after the “partnership” of Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt with the support of the European Union and the USA that targets the “Blue Homeland”.

The MP of the “Good Party” and adviser to the president of the said political body (who has also served as the Minister of the Interior) Meral Aksener, speaking to the newspaper, described “Abdulhamid Khan” as “a symbol of the sovereign rights of Turkey” in the region, turning his sights on the government because it remains in the Gulf of Antalya.

“The vessel ‘Abdulhamid Khan’ moved on August 9 to the Yörükler-1 location, 55 kilometers from Tasukou, for drilling, where it was presented with a great ceremony as a national success. However, the ship quietly returned to the port of Tasukos. This move satisfies Greece, E.U. and USA. At the same time, Cyprus is continuing the investigations with the Italian ENI and the French Total in plot 6, a significant part of which belongs to the maritime jurisdiction of Turkey,” he says.

At the same time, he denounces the Erdogan government that “withdrawal of “Abdulhamid Khan” means a violation of Turkey’s sovereign rights in the “Blue Homeland” of 462 thousand square kilometers and silence on its occupation”.

The newspaper Sozcu, close to the opposition, points out that the non-exit of “Abdulhamid Khan” to the Eastern Mediterranean means legitimizing the claims of the “Charter of Seville”, which almost “imprisons” Turkey in the Gulf of Antalya. As he writes, “this is unacceptable. That is why our research and drilling vessels should immediately return to the Mediterranean, preventing the plans of Greece and the Charter of Seville.”