Exclusive economic zone

The acrimonious aftermath of the Macedonia name deal has prompted the government to defer efforts to resolve bilateral differences with Albania. According to reports, the Prime Minister's Office is reportedly waiting for the name deal's ratification in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece before it tackles the Albanian issues.

"Turkey's Claims to the Eastern Mediterranean: Myth & Reality" was the topic of a presentation by Professor Theodore Kariotis, an expert on maritime law and issues pertaining to exclusive economic zones (EEZ), at a recent forum hosted by the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) in Washington.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades met with TOTAL's Middle East exploration chief on Tuesday, focusing on the prospects of expanding Nicosia's cooperation with the French energy giant.

Delineating maritime borders is a very difficult task and, naturally, so is securing them. Understandably, there is a debate regarding issues such as territorial waters, sovereign rights, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). These concepts do nothing to curb the flows of refugees, migrants or other undocumented individuals who are crossing the border into Greece.

Cyprus is ramping up efforts to become a regional energy player, with 2018 seen as a critical year in deciding where it stands, the country's foreign minister, Nikos Christodoulides, told Kathimerini in an interview.

Turkey should respect international law where it concerns the exclusive economy zone (EEZ) of countries in the Mediterranean, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said in an interview with Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks at his office in Jerusalem on Thursday with Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, his office announced, with the agenda focusing on regional developments and the strengthening of bilateral ties in energy and emergency response to natural disasters.

As tensions build over Turkey's continued detention of two Greek soldiers who accidentally crossed the border, Turkish aggression off the coast of Cyprus is further upsetting the fragile balance in the region.

With Greece monitoring Turkey's next moves with regard to the two Greek soldiers that it detained last week, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Thursday, in a clear nod to Ankara, that he wants peace and cooperation on the domestic level and in "the fragile neighborhood in Southeastern Europe."

The United States recognizes the right of Cyprus to develop the resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone, and discourages any actions or statements that provoke a rise in tensions in the region, a State Department official has said.