Cyprus and Greece are planning to hold consultations with other members of the European Union on how to respond if Turkey tries again to drill for oil and gas in the waters that Cyprus claims as its exclusive economic zone, Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Thursday, AP reported.

Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said earlier this week that the country's newest drilling vessel, Abdullhamid Han, will set sail on Aug. 9 for drilling operations "in the Mediterranean." The exact location has not been announced.

Kasoulidis said the Cypriot authorities believe there are more than six potential sites where the Turkish drilling vessel could start work, and not all of them may be in the area claimed by Cyprus.

The Cypriot government has granted drilling and exploration rights in nine blocks to ExxonMobil and its partner Qatar Petroleum, Chevron and partners Dutch Shell and Israel NewMed, as well as a consortium consisting of Italy's Eni and France's TotalEnergies.

Turkey has previously sent drilling ships and research vessels with escort warships to the waters claimed by Cyprus. Such forays into the waters claimed by Greece have heightened military tensions. The EU strongly condemned Turkey's actions and imposed sanctions on two individuals involved in such drilling expeditions.

Cyprus split into ethnically Greek and ethnically Turkish sides in 1974 when Turkey invaded the country following a coup by supporters of unification with Greece. Although Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, only the southern, Greek Cypriot part enjoys all the benefits of membership.