Turkish ship set to explore off Cyprus
A Turkish exploratory ship whose activities have stoked tension between Athens and Ankara in the past, bringing them close to war in 1987, is expected to begin studying the geology of the depths between Turkey and Cyprus on Thursday, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. The Turkish agency said that the Sismik will spend 10 to 15 days exploring the eastern side of the bay of Attalya on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, up to the gulf of Iskenderun (Alexandretta), including the southern side of the Karpas peninsula – the northern tip of the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus. Quoting Turkey’s Directorate for Research and Mineral Exploration, the agency said the research was aimed at establishing the possibilities of earthquakes in the area. The Sismik, known then as the Piri Reis, brought Greece and Turkey close to war when it sailed into disputed waters in early 1987. Ankara ordered it to return to port. Today, doctors are not called up by the patient when they are needed. They come self-invited and interfere with our lives at their own will in order to protect the healthy. Aggressive medicine, however, is at odds with public wisdom. The other day, I heard that in villages the elderly continue to turn down preventive check-ups saying: «If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.»
