Erdogan announces 'largest-ever' gas discovery in 'Turkey's history' off Black Sea coast

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the discovery of the “largest-ever” natural gas reserve off the Black Sea coast in country’s history. Erdogan told a press conference on August 21 that Turkey’s drilling vessel Fatih found 320 billion cubic meters of the natural gas reserve during the exploration operations in the Tuna-1 sector in the western Black Sea.

“The Fatih, our drilling vessel, has discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserve during its drilling in the Tuna-1 Zone which it started on July 20, 2020,” said Erdogan.

The Turkish President had promised “good news” during a meeting with energy executives on August 19, saying it would usher in a “new era” for the energy-dependent nation. Erdogan said that Turkey has carried out nine deep-sea drillings in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea through Fatih and Yavuz ships.

"There is no stopping and resting until we become a net exporter in energy," he added.

The discovery comes at a time when tensions are running high between Greece and Turkey over exploration operations in the disputed waters of the eastern Mediterranean. Both countries have been sending warships in the disputed zone to shadow their research vessels and the European Union has been following the situation closely.

Read: US Senators Call For Sanctions On Turkey Over 'illegal' Drilling In East Mediterranean

Read: Turkey Condemns Biden's Remarks On Erdogan, Says It Is Based On 'pure Ignorance'

US Senators' call for sanctions

The 27-member bloc has already imposed an entry ban and asset freeze on two Turkish energy executives, with France deploying ships to the eastern Mediterranean. Recently, US Senators urged State Secretary Mike Pompeo and the EU to impose sanctions on key sectors of the Turkish economy for its “illegal” drilling operations in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Bob Menendez, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen wrote to Pompeo, citing Ankara’s recent deployment of naval vessels to accompany a drilling ship into “Greece’s exclusive economic zone”. The duo urged Pompeo to immediately start working with the EU on a coordinated response to Turkey’s “increasing provocations and illegal actions” in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“In accordance with your prior statements, we ask you to call on Turkey to remove its ships from Greece’s EEZ and to resolve this matter in accordance with international law,” the letter read.

Read: Tension High Between Turkey, Greece In Eastern Mediterranean

Read: Turkey Issues Advisory To Carry Out A Seismic Survey In Mediterranean