ANKARA 

The Turkish Navy will continue to protect the country’s Oruc Reis vessel during its seismic research in the Mediterranean, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Thursday.    

In a Twitter post, the ministry said: "the Turkish Naval Forces, the protectors of our naval rights and maritime jurisdiction, continue to support and protect Oruc Reis seismic research vessel with the same accompanying ships since the beginning of the research," the ministry said.

Deniz yetki alanlarımızdaki hak, alaka ve menfaatlerimizin yılmaz ve kararlı koruyucuları Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri, MTA ORUÇ REİS araştırma gemimize refakat ve koruma görevine ilk günkü kararlılıkla ve aynı gemilerle devam etmektedir.#MSB #TSK pic.twitter.com/Fab91yxuSW

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 13, 2020

The ministry also shared footage of naval forces’ ships accompanying Oruc Reis. 

Earlier this week, Turkey resumed energy exploration in the region after Greece and Egypt signed a controversial maritime delimitation deal.  

Oruc Reis will continue the two-week mission until Aug. 23 along with the ships Cengiz Han and Ataman.  

Turkey has consistently opposed Greece's efforts to declare an exclusive economic zone based on small islands near Turkish shores, violating the interests of Turkey, the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean.