Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
The president of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades has slammed Turkey for its “unprecedented escalation of illegal action” which constitutes a “second invasion” in the eastern Mediterranean, blaming Ankara of illegally drilling inside its exclusive economic zone.
Cyprus has this week raised the issue in an informal European Council meeting in Sibiu, Romania, with European Council President Donald Tusk planning to make official comments on the matter. EU leaders are also set to consider Cyprus’ allegations during meetings at the end of May and in June, which Cypriots fear could merely be more European lip service on the matter.
Also on Thursday UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also expressed Britain is “concerned by Turkey’s announcement to begin drilling in Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone,” according to Reuters. “This situation must be deescalated and all parties show restraint,” he said. “Hydrocarbons development should benefit all Cypriots and support a settlement,” the foreign secretary added.
Both the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and Turkey – which occupies northern Cyprus – have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in the natural gas-rich eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey says it’s adhering to international law, to which Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou responded by calling out “Turkey’s blatant and unprecedented violations” of Cyprus’ exclusive zone.
Prodromou said that both Anastasiades’ and European People’s Party leadership “condemn the Turkish intervention (and) call on Turkey to abandon these illegal activities.” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras added that the crisis was “a European issue and not just a Cypriot one,” adding that “international law cannot be violated.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently been provocatively sending warships near Cypriot waters in order to ward off foreign competition to oil and gas research, according to Cypriot officials, also seeking to bar Cypriot ships and planes from freely traversing its own European recognized waters.
But Erdogan is also bumping up against other Mediterranean countries’ plans in the region — at a moment he’s engaged in multiple crises both domestic and related to the West — even as Turkey has long sought EU membership, per Haaretz:
[Turkey] threatens to upset all the plans Israel, Egypt and Cyprus have for exploiting the vast natural gas resources of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The latest installment of the gas crisis started last Friday when Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the Turkish seismic research vessel Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa would be drilling for oil and gas “in areas of Turkey’s continental shelf.”
Turkey has in the past demanded that Cyprus formally recognize the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (since 1974) and allow it to share revenues from Cypriot gas exploration.
Furthermore Turkey has laid claim to a waters extending a whopping 200 miles from its coast, brazenly asserting ownership over a swathe of the Mediterranean that even cuts into Greece’s exclusive economic zone.
Cyprus has also tried to drill exploratory wells in what it and the rest of the world, except Turkey, says is its own maritime zone, but Turkish warships scared off its vessels the last time it tried to do so in February last year. — EU Observer
????If true, this is an unacceptable violation of any international rule.
According to the Cyrpus Times, the TDK (the Turkish Navy sends warships with license to fire, to "protect" TPAO drillship executing illegal exploration activity in CY EEZ.
https://t.co/C2qpDlsVkY— Marco Florian Balkans & EastMed ?????? (@MarcoFlorianMED) May 8, 2019
Such claims have been condemned by the US, European Union, and Egypt, with NATO officials recently signalling to Turkey that it was out of line. This as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed last week that “we are starting drilling” in the region.
Should the Turkish military attempt to enforce its drilling claims and run up against Cypriot and Greek vessels, it could spark a deadly encounter which would force the EU and NATO to finally weigh in more forcefully.
If Turkey does not come close to Syria then Erdogan will definitely face many complains. Union is strength.
lolol erdogan in the beserk mode…….and sooner than later……. in the finish mode….he will be finished politically, economically and militarily………the 3 layers of power..and he is on the best way of loosing all 3 of them…….very similiar to the USA ………downward path politically,economicaly and doing everything possible to add the Military to that equation too….lol..lol..lol.. the only danger is what happens after the childish USA losses These 3 layers of power……will they ACCEPT their NEW place in the world?????or will they take the world with them into the abyss??
He will take the world in to abyss.
Where is NATO warship to move in Cyprus strait to conduct freedom of Movement and deter Cyprus.
Stealing oil, gas,gold is NATO game by plotting wars.
Every country can do drilling. but when turkey does it. no sir you can’t do it. but Greek community can do drilling but Turkish community no but no. gr community leader goes and sign busines deal Israel.. Egypt. Greece and the rest with out Turkish Cypriot permission.. all one-sided…Turkish cp invited turkey to do drilling on they behalf…
Are you all stoned over there
yeah come and join us akis
looking on the map and it’s obvious that cyprus is more turkish than greek so keep going turks. the western world would very much prefer to have he entire eastern part of the med an exclusive exploration area for western companies.
at the same time moronistan (aka usa – home of exxon and chevron and sheldon adelson aipac u z w) is pressuring lebanon to give up certain parts of its territorial waters to facilitate the squatters exploration of the gas find outside of palestine and which the squatters are busy developing for sale to europe. lebanon neeedless to say is opposing the threats from moronistan and also the annexation of the golan heights by the squatters.
any proceeds from the sale of gas by the squatters belong to palestine and the palestinian people, rest assured.
Is this a second period of history where Turkey, an Islamic nation, begins it’s attack on nations of the west. Wasn’t once enough ???