Turkey to conclude oil exploration project off southern province soon

BOLU (A.A) - Turkey's energy and natural resources minister said on Friday that Turkey would conclude oil and natural gas exploration project off the southern province of Mersin soon. Taner Yildiz said almost ten international companies had applied to undertake the project to explore oil and natural gas off Mersin. "We have opened the project to not only international capital but also to oil producer companies, and we will conclude our initiatives soon," Yildiz said in a meeting in the northern province of Bolu.  Yildiz said it was not right for the Greek Cypriot administration to explore oil and natural gas outside its territorial waters, and what the Greek Cypriot administration should do was to carry out those initiatives together with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. "I hope that oil and natural gas exploration in not only Mediterranean but also Cyprus should be a significant reason for peace," Yildiz also said. Earlier this week, the Greek Cypriot administration called for a new international tender for off-shore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation within its so-called economic exclusive zone.