UPDATE2: Turkey sees no econ problems with Russia despite ship incident

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MOSCOW, Dec 14 (PRIME) -- A vessel under the Turkish flag has prevented transportation of drilling rigs of Crimean oil company Chernomorneftegaz to Russian waters, the company said in a statement Monday, but Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the accident will not hurt economic relations between the countries.

Chernomorneftegaz was ordered to move the two rigs, valued at over 25 billion rubles, to Russian waters from a deposit near the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea, 150 kilometers away from Crimea, due to a “difficult international situation.” The firm began transportation, while a Turkish ship “attempted to stop it on its way (of the rig caravan), knowingly provoking emergency,” the company said.

A boat of the Russian Federal Security Service and a boat of the Russian Black Sea fleet, equipped with a missile, forced the Turkish vessel to retreat, Chernomorneftegaz said.

But a representative for the Crimean department of the Russian Federal Security Service downplayed the situation saying it was not an incident, but and a regular occurence.

“After contact, the Turkish ship changed its course on recommendation of the Black Sea Navy’s ship and safely sailed…more than 2 nautical miles away from the caravan. The Turkish vessel made no attempts to stop or in any way prevent transportation of the rigs,” the representative said.

Davutoglu told television channel A Haber: “Now there are no problems with Russian gas supplies. There are mutual interests and liabilities. We hope that Russia will fulfill all its obligations in accordance with the existing agreements.”

He also said that the Akkuyu nuclear plant construction is protected by international agreements and will unlikely be suspended.

“If one of the parties withdraws from the agreement, both sides will lose. A common sense is needed here. I do not think that any problems will arise. But if they do, Turkey will take measures. But so far works on construction of the Akkuyu plant continue, there are no signs that it will stop.”

On December 13, a Russian military ship fired a warning sign after nearly colliding with a Turkish fishing boat in the Aegean Sea. The situation can make the already tense relations between Moscow and Ankara even worse, media reported.

(69.1755 rubles – U.S. $1)

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