Speculation has mounted that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will announce details of a major gas discovery in the Black Sea in Turkey when he speaks later Friday, after vowing to deliver news ushering in a “new era.”
After Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, it found itself short of military hardware. In stepped Muammar Qaddafi, and four Turkish DC-9 commercial aircraft with the seats stripped out were loaded with rockets from Libyan stockpiles of U.S.-made weaponry. He refused all payment.
Turkey’s president has issued a warning to Greece, Cyprus and international companies exploring for gas in the eastern Mediterranean not to “step out of line” and encroach on Turkish rights.
