Fishing industry

In yet another blatant violation of Cyprus' sovereignty, Turkey on Thursday sent its Yavuz drillship to an area off the west coast of the island and within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to prospect for hydrocarbons.

The area, which is in Block 7 of the island's EEZ, has already been licensed for exploration to the French-Italian consortium of Total and Eni.

Fortunately for Raljevic, he now has something else, a pioneering project conducted by the World Wildlife Fund and FishMPABlue2, a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund to improve the sustainability of small-scale fishing in the chronically over-fished waters of the Mediterranean.

Overfishing has been depleting fish stocks, Professor Bayram Öztürk has warned, as the fishing season started with the end of the ban on Sept. 1. Measures against overfishing, especially in terms of preventing illegal fishing, should be taken alongside encouraging traditional family fishing, said Öztürk, the head of the Turkish Research Marine foundation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, found common ground during talks in Athens with Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on bilateral relations and on the energy crisis in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone where the Italian energy giant ENI has received an exploration license which Turkey has challenged.

By the end of 2020, a maritime spatial plan covering Bulgarian territorial waters in the Black Sea should be ready. This was stated by the regional deputy minister Denitsa Nikolova, quoted by the press center of the department. The plan is the first step and fundamental document for the implementation of the country's maritime policy.

Nicosia has granted approval to the energy companies ENI and Total to explore block seven of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and approved nine other drilling operations within the EEZ over the next two years.

The approval was finalized in a cabinet meeting on Monday following recent indications by Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis that an agreement was in the works.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has told the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean that Ankara's activity in the Exclusive Economic Zone [EEZ] of the Republic of Cyprus aims to "guarantee that the rights of the Turkish-Cypriots are accepted by the Greek-Cypriot administration, Greece, the EU, and everyone else".

Cypriot diplomatic sources believe that Nicosia's decision last month to issue arrest warrants in response to the illegal presence of Turkey's Fatih drillship in the Eastern Mediterranean island's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is paying off.

Greek Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis reiterated his concern over Turkey's decision to carry out illegal drilling inside Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and called on the country to refrain from further unilateral actions that violate international law and undermine region's stability.

With Nicosia seeking to consolidate its sovereign rights in view of Turkey's stance in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis announced on Tuesday that the country will conduct eight drillings, six exploratory and two confirmatory, in specific areas of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) over the next 24 months, without revealing exactly where.