Bloomberg reports that on Tuesday Turkey started drilling in new areas on the southwest coast of Cyprus. This could further increase tensions with the European Union, Greece and France, and is likely to lead to an increased military presence in the region.

The Turkish research vessel continued its work in the disputed waters of the eastern Mediterranean last week. This came after the failure of negotiations with Greece, mediated by Germany. Athens then announced maritime delimitation with Egypt in response to a similar agreement between Turkey and Libya.

The Turkish President promised to defend his country’s rights and called on Mediterranean countries to unite and settle differences in a telephone conversation with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday.