Nicosia

Ankara must respect Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) if it wants UN-brokered reunification talks to resume, Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos said ahead of a weekend visit to Turkey.

Turkish government officials on Tuesday defended Ankara’s continuing violation of Cyprus’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ ) and proposed the foundation of a private company to undertake oil and gas drilling activities in the eastern Aegean until a solution is found to the Cyprus problem.

NICOSIA – Egypt is speeding up talks with neighboring Cyprus to import natural gas for its domestic use and for possible re-export to other countries, the Egyptian petroleum minister said on Tuesday.

Sherif Ismail said gas can be piped directly to Egypt from the field off Cyprus’s southern coast that is estimated to hold 3.6 trillion to 6 trillion cubic feet of the fossil fuel.

US Vice President Joe Biden has affirmed Washington’s commitment to the reunification of Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation, urging both sides on the divided island to resume UN-brokered talks.

The comments were made late Sunday as Biden called Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades to brief him about his talks with Turkish leaders in Istanbul.

The prospects for the resumption of stalled peace talks on Cyprus and the issue of energy security were among the matters discussed on Saturday by US Vice President Joe Biden and Turkish government officials during a visit by the former to Istanbul.

US Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during a visit to Istanbul this weekend, according to a report by the Athens News Agency on Wednesday.

Talks are expected to focus on the Cyprus issue and developments in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Nicosia has criticized UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for failing to condemn Turkey's violation of Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Three weeks before a Greek-Turkish summit in Athens, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Greece and Cyprus on Tuesday of trying to “frighten” his country by signing an agreement with Egypt.

“Anastasiades took the other side by surprise. The negotiations had progressed to a certain point, but with a sudden shift, he changed the agenda.”

Cyprus will never accept any form of partition, Nicosia said on Saturday while voicing its commitment to resume peace talks with Turkey to reunited the divided island.