Cyprus seeking to isolate Turkey on oil exploration
New Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Markoullis has been traveling around seeking support for its position regarding oil exploration off its southern Mediterranean coast. On Tuesday, Markoullis was in Russia, and on Wednesday she was here in Israel. In each case, she was received warmly and was granted support for her country's position. In an official press release, the Russian Federation clearly expressed Cyprus’ sovereign right, based on international law, to carry out explorations and drill for hydrocarbons in its EEZ.The report on the Russian meeting also mentioned Israel.
The press release referred specifically to the Law of the Sea, which Russia and Cyprus have signed, though Turkey has not. Cyprus has also signed agreements delineating its EEZ between neighbouring states, namely Lebanon, Egypt and Israel. Some reports suggest Lebanon’s parliament has yet to ratify the treaty due to pressure from Turkey.
The Russian statement also called on Turkey not to link the actions of the Cyprus Republic, which are based on its sovereign rights, with the process to solve the Cyprus issue.
Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu’s top aide Kudret Ozersay has also warned that the Turkish Cypriots will start taking unilateral steps to exploit resources in the island’s northern third if the Cypriot government goes ahead with plans to explore and extract its natural resources.Well, maybe. But here's what happened when she came to Israel on Wednesday.
According to the Turkish Cypriot press, Ozersay met with Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus Michael Harari on Friday, where the two likely discussed Cyprus and Israel’s plans to extract and distribute their natural gas resources.
With her country locked in a nasty tiff with Turkey over maritime gas exploration rights, Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis came to Israel Wednesday looking for signs of support on the matter from Jerusalem, and received it in the form of statement put out by the Prime Minister’s Office.Read the whole thing.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement following a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Kozakou-Marcoullis saying among the issues discussed was “expanding the possibilities of cooperating in the energy field, since both countries have been blessed with natural gas deposits in their exclusive economic zones.”
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Both the US and Russia have in recent days released statements supporting the Cypriot position, and Kozakou-Marcoullis told The Jerusalem Post in an interview, before meeting Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, that she hoped for a “message going out from Israel regarding the principle regarding sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone.”
Lieberman, like Netanyahu, also put out a statement signaling support for Cyprus’s position, saying he and his Cypriot colleague praised the agreement reached by Israel and Cyprus in 2010 delineating their maritime boundaries and their respective exclusive economic zones, and saying that beginning work to extract the gas should be done quickly “for the benefit of both sides.”
In the Post interview, Kozakou- Marcoullis said Cyprus was planning exploratory drilling within the next two weeks, regardless of Turkey’s threats.
“We have international law on our side,” she said. “I think Turkey has to listen to the messages being sent by the international community regarding this issue.”
She said while Cyprus has to be concerned about “any kind of threats coming from Turkey, at the same time we are proceeding as scheduled and doing whatever we have to do regarding raising the issue with other countries.”
But there is this little cloud on the horizon.
Yesterday’s Phileleftheros reported that the Turkish Navy and Air Force are planning military exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean starting from September 15.Hmmm.
Labels: Cyprus, Israel, Law of the Sea, oil and gas exploration, Russia, Turkey, United States
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:30 PM
1 Comments:
With the Israeli apology to Turkey off the Table, it makes sense for Israel to seek other allies.
And Israel has its own exploration rights in the waters off Cyprus and both countries can only stand to benefit.
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