ISTANBUL: Turkey will begin drilling for oil and gas near Cyprus in coming days, state-owned news agency Anadolu reported Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying on Thursday, a move that could stoke tensions with neighboring Cyprus and Greece.
Turkey and the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in the eastern Mediterranean, a region thought to be rich in natural gas.
“In the coming days we will start drilling with two ships around Cyprus,” Cavusoglu was quoted as saying in a speech to a business conference in western Turkey’s Aydin province.
“Let those who come to the region from far away, and their companies, see that nothing can be done in that region without us. Nothing at all can be done in the Mediterranean without Turkey, we will not allow that,” Cavusoglu said.
Turkey launched its first drillship “Fatih” in October to drill off the coast of Turkey’s southern Antalya province. It said a second ship that it purchased would operate in the Black Sea, but was diverted to the Cyprus area.
Breakaway north Cyprus, which is supported by Turkey, says any offshore wealth also belongs to them, as partners in the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960.
The island was divided in 1974 after a Turkish invasion triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Countless peacemaking endeavours have failed, and offshore wealth has increasingly complicated peace negotiations, with Greek Cypriots saying the matter is not up for discussion.
Turkey set to begin oil and gas drilling off Cyprus
Turkey set to begin oil and gas drilling off Cyprus
- “In the coming days we will start drilling with two ships around Cyprus,” Turkish foreign minister said
- Turkey and the Cypriot government have overlapping claims of jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean
Oman airport passenger traffic rises 2.8% in 2025
RIYADH: Passenger traffic through airports in Oman increased by 2.8 percent in 2025, reaching 14.9 million travelers by the end of December, up from 14.5 million passengers a year earlier, according to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information and reported by Oman News Agency.
Despite the rise in passenger volumes, total flight movements across the country’s airports declined by 2.8 percent to 104,510 flights in 2025, compared with 107,546 flights during the same period in 2024, indicating higher load factors and network optimization by airlines.
At Muscat International Airport, international flights fell by 4.5 percent to 82,913 in 2025 from 86,797 a year earlier. Nevertheless, international passenger numbers rose by 1.3 percent to 11.8 million, compared with 11.6 million in 2024. Domestic activity at Muscat showed stronger momentum, with flights increasing 6.6 percent to 9,606 from 9,009, while domestic passenger numbers climbed 12 percent to 1.3 million, up from 1.1 million.
At Salalah Airport, international flights declined 2.4 percent to 4,886 in 2025, compared with 5,008 in 2024. International passenger numbers remained broadly stable at 678,591, slightly higher than 678,402 a year earlier. Domestic operations recorded robust growth, with flights rising 14.3 percent to 6,227 from 5,450 and passenger numbers increasing 17.7 percent to 1,023,529, up from 869,954.
Sohar Airport saw a sharp contraction in international traffic, as flights dropped 77.8 percent to 110 in 2025 from 495 in 2024. International passenger numbers plunged 99.1 percent to 390 travelers, compared with 44,897 a year earlier. Domestic flights at Sohar declined 9.1 percent to 150 from 165, while passenger numbers fell 21.8 percent to 18,247, down from 23,331.
At Duqm Airport, domestic flights edged down 0.6 percent to 618 in 2025 from 622 in 2024. Passenger numbers slipped marginally by 0.4 percent to 60,893, compared with 61,137 the previous year.
Overall, the figures reflect steady growth in passenger demand across Oman’s main airports, driven largely by domestic travel, even as airlines reduced flight frequencies during the year.
