By Murat Temizer

ANKARA

Turkey, with the aid of the country's first drilling vessel, Fatih, will drill its first well in the Mediterranean this year Fatih, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said late Thursday.

Donmez, speaking at the Belt and Road Investment and Financial Cooperation Summit in Turkish capital Ankara, said Turkey has accelerated seismic research and drilling activities in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean since April 2017.

This has been achieved with the help of Turkey's first seismic vessel Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, which has been conducting operations in the Mediterranean, while a second vessel, the MTA Oruc Reis is now set for exploration.

"We will drill our first well in the Mediterranean this year with the country's first drilling vessel, Fatih," he noted, adding that the vessel, formerly known as the Deepsea Metro II, is in situ in the province of Antalya since June to begin operations.

As party of Turkey's aim to become one of the top ten economies globally, Donmez said energy investments are crucial.

"We are considering every option to diversify our energy resources and to make investments," he said.

Donmez asserted that Turkey would continue to maintain a key role in energy projects in the country, which would continue to contribute to the prosperity and stability of the region.

"Turkey will continue to be a safe haven for investors and an important regional actor in our territory," he said.

"Sustainability of investments is a fundamental goal for our country," he stressed.

Former Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak said on May 31 at the vessel's official launch ceremony in the Kocaeli province that it would conduct drilling at a depth of 2,600 meters in the Mediterranean, hailing it as a historical step for Turkey.