Cyprus: Turkey starts drilling for oil in European waters off Cyprus.

(Nicosia)  Despite all its protestations about Israel occupying the holyland, Ankara really doesn't have a leg to stand on regards the moral high-ground seeing as it occupies Northern Cyprus (as well as parts of Greece/Armenia/Syria and Iraq)  which it invaded and annexed in 1971 citing it was defending the rights of Turkish people. However whilst linked to Greece , Cyprus really stood alone agaisnt Turkey until it joined the EU in 2004.

After Israel found oil in the Eastern Med, everybody in the region decided to stake a claim off their shores.Egypt,Cyprus , Lebanon and even Hamas all got into the act. As part of the Eurozone, Cyprus is supposed to have the protection of the rest of the nations which make up the EU.  However that hasn't deterred Turkey from throwing its weight around the Island (sending its navy to bully Cyprus) in which to claim the seas off the coast of Cyprus as its own.

Which is why it is currently drilling for Oil off the coast of Cyprus.

Standing by one of its smaller nations the politically correct mandarins at Strasbourg sent Turkey a strongly worded letter stating that they are not amused a month ago, but not enough to cause offence.

"The European Union stands united behind the Republic of Cyprus and expects Turkey to respect sovereign rights of the EU member states. The European Council will continue to follow these developments closely."

In response Turkey mocked the EU, with Erdogan taking aim at Macron in his retort:

"Those who have the right to speak about the eastern Mediterranean can speak. When did France have the right to speak on the eastern Mediterranean? Do they have a coast in the eastern Mediterranean?"

And sent a second ship to look for oil off the coast of Pathos (western Cyprus). Funny enough the United States sent a much clearer message to Ankara:

The United States remains deeply concerned by Turkey’s repeated attempts to conduct drilling operations in the waters off Cyprus and its most recent dispatch of the drillship Yavuz off the Karpas Peninsula. This provocative step raises tensions in the region. We urge Turkish authorities to halt these operations and encourage all parties to act with restraint and refrain from actions that increase tensions in the region. Energy resource development in the Eastern Mediterranean should foster cooperation, increase dialogue between the two communities and among regional neighbors, and provide a foundation for durable energy security and economic prosperity. We continue to believe the island’s oil and gas resources, like all of its resources, should be equitably shared between both communities in the context of an overall settlement.

Pity the EU hasn't the balls to stand up to bullies.