Azerbaijan, Baku, March 27 / Trend A.Taghiyeva /
Turkey stopped working with the Italian Eni company because of its partnership with Cyprus in the field of hydrocarbon exploration in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Anadolu Agency quotes Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz as saying on Wednesday.
"Turkey has decided to freeze all Eni company's projects in the country and stop cooperation," Yildiz said.
Construction of the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline is planned in Turkey between the Black Sea coast in the region of Samsun and the Mediterranean coast in Ceyhan. It will enable the transportation of crude from Russia and Kazakhstan bypassing the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.
He also stressed that in particular, the company will be excluded from participation in the construction of the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline in which Eni cooperates with Turkey's Çalık Holding.
Earlier Ankara repeatedly warned Eni over the possibility of stopping cooperation with it if it does not put a hold on the work with Cyprus in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.
Ankara believes that holding such operations in a special economic zone is contrary to international law.
After Nicosia started developing the shelf off the coast of the island divided into Greek and Turkish parts in September 2011, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara along with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will begin exploring oil and gas in a special economic zone of Northern Cyprus.
Turkey has repeatedly expressed its categorical protest against the operations, demanding the cancelation of plans to develop hydrocarbons by Cyprus.
Ankara does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus, maintaining relations only with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. A corps of Turkish troops has been there since 1974.