We’ll start drilling if you don’t stop, South warned
THE TRNC will commence drilling for offshore oil and gas in the “not too distant future” if the Greek Cypriot side continues with its “unilateral hydrocarbon activities”, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay said this week.
He made the pledge following “productive” talks in Ankara on Tuesday with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu — while President Mustafa Akıncı said on Thursday that he had no objection to a “social meeting” with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades. Tensions over the hydrocarbons issue have been simmering since the collapse of peace talks last summer in Switzerland. Early last month Italian energy firm Eni announced that it and French company Total had made a “promising” natural gas discovery within “Block 6” of the Greek Cypriots’ self-declared “exclusive economic zone” (EEZ) — an area that Turkey deems to be part of its continental shelf.
Attempts by Eni to then explore “Block 3” of the EEZ — a region to the south-east of Gazimağusa also claimed by the TRNC — were blocked by Turkish warships, a move approved by the Turkish Cypriot government.
On Monday the US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima arrived in Limassol as part of a “scheduled deployment” which coincided with American oil giant ExxonMobil’s exploration activities in “Block 10”, one of the three most southerly segments of the EEZ. “The Greek Cypriot side should show that they are ready to share this wealth with the Turkish Cypriots,” Dr Özersay said.
He said that while there was “still an opportunity for a diplomatic solution” to the maritime dispute, he was “committed to protecting our rights in accordance with international law”.
Dr Özersay continued: “We have said that if the Greek Cypriots continue to insist on unilateral drilling activities then we will also authorise companies for drilling. We have reached this final stage . . . The Turkish Cypriot side will start its own drilling process, in cooperation with Turkey . . . in the not too distant future.” He added that the TRNC was “very fortunate” to a have a “guarantor and strategic partner like Turkey” and commented that the “unjust isolation of the TRNC” had continued despite being the side “that wanted a solution”.
“I would like to stress that in the process that will follow, we will no longer allow this,” he said.
On Thursday President Akıncı told reporters following a meeting with the leaders of the four-party coalition government, including Dr Özersay, that he was considering meeting Mr Anastasiades for the first time since talks between the two ended in acrimony last July. “We can get together, talk, drink coffee or even eat . . . But we shall never forget the issue which will take us somewhere, and that is the need for a very serious change of mentality on the Greek Cypriot side,” he stressed.
Mr Akıncı said he had discussed with Elizabeth Spehar, the UN Secretary-General’s special representative in Cyprus, the possibility of dinner with Mr Anastasiades.