Erdogan, after the Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea: “We cannot accept”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, warned on Monday, December 1, about a “worrying escalations” following the drone attacks claimed by Ukraine, which hit two oil tankers in the Black Sea on Friday and Saturday, near the coast of Turkey.
Erdogan speaks of a “worrying escalation”. PHOTO EPA EFE
“We cannot accept these attacks under any circumstances, as they threaten the security of navigation, the environment and life in our exclusive economic zone”emphasized the president of Turkey, reports AFP, quoted by Agerpres.
It indicates that, currently, “the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has clearly reached a level that threatens the safety of navigation in the Black Sea”the Turkish president also said.
“We address the necessary warnings to all parties involved”
Erdogan added that, therefore, “we address the necessary warnings to all parties involved. We are also closely following the evolution of the situation with a view to ending the conflict and are ready to contribute at every opportunity”after the United States formulated a 28-point peace plan on which Washington is negotiating with Kiev.
The oil tankers Kairos and Virat, which were sailing under the flag of the Gambian state, but which are part of the “shadow fleet” with the help of which Russia circumvents the sanctions imposed on it by Western countries, were hit by Ukrainian naval drones on Friday evening in the Black Sea near the coast of Turkey, outside its territorial waters.
The Virat vessel was hit again on Saturday morning.
The two oil tankers were moving without cargo to the Russian port of Novorossiisk, where another Ukrainian drone attack disabled an oil terminal where Kazakh oil is also exported.
A third oil tanker, the Mersin, under the Panamanian flag but operated by a Turkish company and also used to export Russian oil, was damaged on Thursday in the Atlantic near the African state of Senegal, following four external explosions whose cause is still unclear.
