Turkey warns GCs ‘Do not overstep the mark’
GREEK Cypriot authorities must not “overstep the mark” in their unilateral quest to exploit natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned this week, amid the most serious tensions over the issue since 2011. Mr Erdoğan made the comments after Turkish warships blocked an Italian vessel — the Saipem 12000 drilling ship — while it was heading towards an area south-east of Cyprus.
The ship, contracted by Italy’s Eni on behalf of South Cyprus, was travelling last Friday to “Block 3” of the Greek
Cypriots’ self-declared exclusive economic zone (EEZ) when it was ordered by the Turkish navy to stop because of a “military exercise in the area”, reports said.
Greek Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides was quoted on Monday as telling South Cyprus media that the Saipem “remained anchored about 30 miles from the drilling target”.
Yesterday TRNC President Mustafa Akıncı held a meeting with Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay to “evaluate” the latest developments, which came just days after Eni announced it had made a “promising” discovery to the south-west of the island and as tensions also simmered between Turkey and Greece over islets in the Aegean.
“Our warships and security units are following all developments in the region with the instruction to do whatever is necessary,” Mr Erdoğan told members of his ruling AK Party in the Turkish Parliament on Tuesday.
“Whatever our rights are in Afrin, these same rights exist in Cyprus and the Aegean,” he continued, referring to Turkey’s ongoing offensive against terrorists in northern Syria.
“We warn those who overstep the mark in Cyprus and the Aegean. They are standing up to us until they see our army, ships and planes.”
Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak said this week: “We will not allow anyone to ignore the existence of the TRNC state and its citizens. We will utilise the rights afforded to us from international law.
“Turkey will put forward [an] effective diplomatic and political stance.”
A statement from the Greek Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as Turkey’s “disregard for international law” and the “blatant violation of Cyprus’s sovereign rights”.
Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Kotzias yesterday accused Turkey of acting like “cowboys” over Cyprus.
Earlier in the week Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano told his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoglu that he wanted a solution to the stand-off “that is in line with international law”, according to a statement from Italy’s Foreign Ministry.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said he had discussed the issue with Greek Premier Alexis Tsipras, telling him it was “not right” for the Greek Cypriots to conduct hydrocarbon research activities “before reaching a solution in Cyprus”. He warned that such a policy would only produce “negative outcomes”.
A statement issued by the TRNC Foreign Ministry last Saturday said: “The Greek Cypriot leadership is not ready to share power and wealth with the Turkish Cypriot people . . . We, as the TRNC and Turkey, will not refrain from taking corresponding steps to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Wednesday in response to a question from a reporter that he “regretted” the escalation of tensions, but it was “not for the UN secretariat to take a position on the rights of member states under the treaties to which they are party or under general international law”.
He said a solution to the Cyprus problem was the “best chance of resolving” the hydrocarbons issue “once and for all”.
On Monday EU Council president Donald Tusk tweeted his support for South Cyprus following a phone call with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades, calling on Turkey to “avoid threats or actions against any EU member”.
Mr Anastasiades told reporters that he was taking the “necessary” steps over the matter, but seemed keen to “play down” the matter, reports said.