Turkey will start oil-and-gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, the energy minister said, according to a TV station, weeks after Cyprus announced similar plans in deals with Egypt and Lebanon. Turkey had warned Cyprus not to search for oil and gas in the area, where it said it also has legal rights and interests. Turkey also insisted that Turkish Cypriots should have a say in the island's oil-and-gas rights. Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos ignored the warnings, and in remarks published Sunday said the exploration deals with Egypt and Lebanon would go ahead. Turkey's Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said Monday during an interview with NTV that Turkey would also seek oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean…