Cyprus denies a Turkish-US joint naval exercise took place inside its Exclusive Economic Zone, as Turkey’s Ministry of Defense claims.

Cypriot sources say what actually took place was a joint French-US exercise, while Turkey conducted its own naval exercise nearby.

The US frigate that protects Exxon Mobil’s research platform in the Exclusive Economic Zone’s Block 10 took part in the Frenc-US joint naval exercise, the same Cypriot sources said.

France has been granted oil and gas exploration rights in the adjacent Block 11.

[ANA-MPA/Kathimerini]