Özersay: Sharing natural resources should be first step in resolving Cyprus problem
SHARING the Eastern Mediterranean’s natural gas should be the first step towards securing a solution to the Cyprus problem, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay has said.
Speaking on a TV programme recently, Dr Özersay said: “The time has come to talk about sharing natural gas before a comprehensive solution can be found, and Germany is willing to mediate between the two parties to help achieve that.
“The EU is also ready to help and Switzerland has offered to host negotiations. It is necessary, therefore, to move the process forward and I believe I can do that.
“World powers are focused on the Eastern Mediterranean and who wins the presidential election in the TRNC will be a decisive factor in seeking and obtaining the rights of Turkish Cypriots, whose will should not be underestimated. In determining the future of the island of Cyprus in any new status, that our will and approval will be needed.
“The more we make the will of the Turkish Cypriot people visible, the stronger the TRNC becomes in the region . . . such situations are often referred to in international relations and diplomacy as soft power, but if used well it achieves results.”
Meanwhile Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that one of
Turkey’s main aims in the Eastern Mediterranean is to protect “Turkish Cypriots’ equal rights over the offshore resources of the island through the establishment of an equitable revenue sharing mechanism”.
Writing for the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Mr Çavuşoğlu added that the Turkish Cypriots should be included in any discussions on the sharing of energy resources.
In separate comments, Mr Çavuşoğlu played down the significance of the return to Antalya port of the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel, which he explained was for “routine maintenance” and not a “concession” to Greece and the Greek Cypriots.