Cyprus

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Tuesday said Athens and Nicosia came even closer together after their cooperation at the inconclusive UN-brokered Cyprus reunification talks in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, earlier this month.

While the Greek Cypriot administration started to discuss the next moves after the collapse of the peace talks to unite the divided island, the Turkish government is also in a similar exercise.

The American aircraft carrier USS George W. Bush sailing near Cyprus jammed with its ESM/ECM electronic warfare systems the communications frequencies of Turkish fighter jets that attempted to reach the drilling site in the Cypriot EEZ.

The information was published by Kathimerini and it is indicative of the situation the Turls face by the Turks in Cyprus.

The “West Capella” drilling rig is expected start drilling today in the seabed of Cypriot waters at block 11. Despite continuous Turkish provocations and constant aggressive rhetoric regarding the oil exploration operations, procedures are moving forward, as both the US and France, who have stakes in the procedures, have made their support clear to Cyprus for the operations.

The natural resources of Cyprus belong to the Cypriot people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus said in a statement.

In a wide-ranging interview with Sunday's Kathimerini, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades blamed Turkey for the collapse of the latest United Nations-mediated effort to reunify Cyprus, said Nicosia would not change its plans to drill for hydrocarbons off the island's coast and appealed for calm in the region.

The Federation of Hellenic Associations of Tourist and Travel Agencies (fedHATTA) has taken a number of initiatives for promoting Greece abroad, including its bid to organize the "Japan Week" international event of 2019 in Athens.

Turkish seismographic research/survey vessel Barbaros, which until yesterday evening was anchored in a port in southern Turkey sailed off the coast of Cyprus.
According to “Marine Traffic,” Barbaros is currently just off the coast of Morphou bay on the north-western side of the island. The tracking site, however, says the destination of the vessel is Moudania, in northwestern Turkey.

Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak claims his country is preserving its ‘guarantee rights’ following the recent move by energy firms TOTAL/ENI to begin drilling for gas within Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Turkey warned the Greek Cypriot administration over its hydrocarbon-related activities in the Eastern Mediterranean late on July 13.