Middle Eastern countries

Turkey's foreign minister reiterated on July 10 that Turkey is determined to protect Turkish Cypriots' rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.         

By George Gilson

Straight on the heels of a US State Department statement of concern, the Greek foreign ministry has condemned Ankara's fresh attempt to drill in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus, off the Turkish-occupied Karpas Peninsula.

European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday threatened Turkey with sanctions if it does not stop its drilling activities in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Turkey's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it rejected statements by Greek and European Union officials that Turkish drilling for gas and oil off Cyprus was illegitimate and said the EU could not be an impartial mediator on the Cyprus problem.

The US State Department on Tuesday urged Turkish authorities to halt energy drilling operations off the Cypriot coast in the Mediterranean, a day after Cyprus protested a Turkish ship dropping anchor there.

On the first day that incoming Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias assumed his duties, Greece has called on Ankara to respect the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus and desist from plans for gas and oil drilling off the Karpas peninsula, which has been under Turkish military occupation since 1974.

Turkey's second drillship, Yavuz, will begin drilling for oil and natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean within a week, Fatih Dönmez, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, has told news agency Anadolu.

Yavuz is currently at the port of Mersin doing "final tests" and getting supplies, said Donmez.

Syrian students studying in Turkey will contribute to building a society in both countries, the head of the EU delegation in Turkey said on July 4.       

Cyprus has initiated legal proceedings against three companies involved in gas drilling by Turkey to the west of the island for encroaching on the island's continental shelf, a senior Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday. Officials declined to name the companies, but said they were not Turkish.

In response to Turkey's current activities and future designs in Cyprus' territorial waters, Nicosia issued a navigational telex Friday reserving parts of blocks 2 and 3 in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for naval exercises from July 1 to 10.