"The United States is deeply concerned by Turkey’s to conduct drilling operations in the waters off Cyprus, including plans to dispatch the drill ship Yavuz south of Limassol," the U.S. spokesperson said during a press briefing in Washington.

Turkey always says it is acting within its own continental shelf or in territorial waters where Turkish Cypriots would also be entitled to an equal share of any finds.

The 2018 Cyprus gas dispute began on February 6, 2018. The dispute followed remarks made by Turkey's foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, rejecting a 2003 Cypriot-Egyptian maritime border demarcation deal and announcing the Turkish government's intention to carry out gas exploration in the region.

Tensions in the region further escalated on February 9, when the Turkish Navy blocked a drill ship operated by Italian oil company Eni S.p.A, licensed by the government of the Republic of Cyprus, from exploring gas reserves off the island.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry reacted by warning Turkey not to contest the 2013 deal and Egyptian economic interests in the region, adding that any attempts to do so would be confronted.

The Cypriot government officials have claimed that any future benefits are for all Cypriots, including the Turkish Cypriots, but only after a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.

On November 16, the partnership of the Cypriot government and US Company Exxon Mobil successfully began carrying out hydrocarbon exploration, escorted by US Navy ships, with Turkey remaining passive. The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded with a statement in which its spokesperson, Hami Aksoy vowed that Turkey would begin drilling operations of its own in Cypriot waters. (ILKHA)