A showdown over natural gas and oil deposits in the seas off Cyprus is set to intensify, with Turkey announcing it is to send a drilling ship to the region days after the US energy company ExxonMobil dispatched its own survey vessels to the area.

As tensions flare over the potential spoils off the coast of the divided island, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has declared he will not tolerate the prospect of reserves being exploited by Greek Cypriots at a time when his country is engaged in conflicts elsewhere, not least against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.



Last month, Turkish warships were ordered to prevent drilling operations by ENI, an Italian energy company commissioned by Cyprus’s government, in what was seen as a brazen act of brinkmanship.

Turkey argues the self-proclaimed Turkish republic of Northern Cyprus should also be allowed to exploit the region, although others claim that areas designated for drilling fall under Ankara’s maritime jurisdiction or that of the Turkish Cypriots.

“Hopefully it has been instructive for some who saw an opportunity to act unilaterally when Turkey is engaged in anti-terrorism operations elsewhere,” Erdoğan said on Tuesday, adding that Ankara would be deploying its own newly acquired drillship to the waters off Cyprus imminently.

The sabre-rattling is causing growing concern. Optimism had mounted over the region’s potential as a gas-producing hub after geological surveys pointed to vast reserves around Cyprus. If unlocked, the resources could reshape energy geopolitics, transforming the region economically and lessening Europe’s – and Turkey’s – dependence on Russia for gas.

“Our approach is to keep calm and go on,” said a Cypriot government spokesman, Prodromos Prodromou. “We cannot accept Turkey interfering and creating problems in what, as underlined by the EU, is a sovereign right to exploit our natural wealth.”

As ExxonMobil’s two ships began work, Wess Mitchell, the US state department official in charge of American policy in Europe, visited Nicosia for talks.

But euphoria over an energy bonanza has run up against old enmities and the failure to reunite the island – divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a coup aimed at creating a union with Greece.

“We are heading for a full-blown crisis in the eastern Mediterranean,” said Hubert Faustmann, professor of political science at the University of Nicosia. “And that is because Turkey is determined not to allow exploitation of any resources without its consent and participation of Turkish Cypriots.” </s> NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Turkish warships continue to impede a rig from reaching a location off Cyprus where Italian energy company Eni is scheduled to drill for gas, the Cypriot government said Monday.

Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides told state broadcaster RIK that the rig remains anchored about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the drilling target off the island's southeastern coast.

He said Cyprus and Eni are focused on ensuring that drilling goes ahead as planned.

In this photo taken on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017 children play on a beach with a drilling platform seen in the background, on the outskirts of Larnaca port, in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Turkish warships on maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea have blocked a rig belonging to the Italian energy firm ENI from reaching an area off Cyprus to start searching for gas, officials said Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018. Cyprus' Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides told state broadcaster RIK that the rig has halted its journey heading south of Cyprus and was waiting for directions from ENI. He says Cypriot authorities are in contact with the company and the Italian government. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Christodoulides said Turkish warships prevented other merchant vessels from approaching the area, citing military maneuvers. He said a Turkish notice binding the area for such maneuvers expires Feb. 22. Cyprus says the notice violates international law and is legally invalid.

Cyprus was divided into a Greek Cypriot south, where the internationally recognized government is seated, and a Turkish Cypriot north in 1974, when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup mounted by supporters of union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence is only recognized by Turkey which maintains mover 35,000 troops in the north.

Turkey opposes what it says is a "unilateral" search for resources by the Cypriot government because it disregards the rights of breakaway Turkish Cypriots to the island's natural resources.

The Cypriot government says it is its sovereign right to drill for gas and that any income from the hydrocarbons will be shared equitably after the island is reunified.

Greece's foreign ministry condemned what it said was Turkey's disregard for international law and the "blatant violation" of Cyprus' sovereign rights. In a statement Monday, the ministry called on Turkey to stop any further unlawful actions and to comply with its international legal obligations.

It also said that Turkey's "provocative" behavior isn't in line with that of a candidate for European Union membership.

Turkey has in the past routinely issued notices binding areas south of Cyprus for naval drills in response to the island nation's hydrocarbons search.

Last week, Cyprus said that Eni had discovered a potentially sizeable gas deposit at another target southwest of the island. </s> NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Turkish warships continue to impede a rig from reaching a location off Cyprus where Italian energy company Eni is scheduled to drill for gas, the Cypriot government said Monday.

Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides told state broadcaster RIK that the rig remains anchored about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the drilling target off the island’s southeastern coast.

He said Cyprus and Eni are focused on ensuring that drilling goes ahead as planned.

Christodoulides said Turkish warships prevented other merchant vessels from approaching the area, citing military maneuvers. He said a Turkish notice binding the area for such maneuvers expires Feb. 22. Cyprus says the notice violates international law and is legally invalid.

Cyprus was divided into a Greek Cypriot south, where the internationally recognized government is seated, and a Turkish Cypriot north in 1974, when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup mounted by supporters of union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence is only recognized by Turkey which maintains mover 35,000 troops in the north.

Turkey opposes what it says is a “unilateral” search for resources by the Cypriot government because it disregards the rights of breakaway Turkish Cypriots to the island’s natural resources.

The Cypriot government says it is its sovereign right to drill for gas and that any income from the hydrocarbons will be shared equitably after the island is reunified.

Greece’s foreign ministry condemned what it said was Turkey’s disregard for international law and the “blatant violation” of Cyprus’ sovereign rights. In a statement Monday, the ministry called on Turkey to stop any further unlawful actions and to comply with its international legal obligations.

It also said that Turkey’s “provocative” behavior isn’t in line with that of a candidate for European Union membership.

The EU cautioned Turkey to respect the territory of its member states and to avoid ratcheting up tensions.

“Turkey needs to commit unequivocally to good neighborly relations and avoid any kind of source of friction, threat or action directed against a member state” European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said. “Moreover, the EU also stresses the need to respect the sovereignty of member states over their territorial sea and air space.”

Turkey has in the past routinely issued notices binding areas south of Cyprus for naval drills in response to the island nation’s hydrocarbons search. But it’s the first time that it has taken such a step to prevent drilling.

Last week, Cyprus said that Eni had discovered a potentially sizeable gas deposit at another target southwest of the island.

Lorne Cooke in Brussels contributed to this report. </s> NICOSIA – Stepping up aggression and hinting at military action, Turkey sent warships to block an Italian company drillship from reaching waters off Cyprus licensed for an energy hunt, sending the Cypriot and Italian governments to plan a response.

The legitimate Cypriot government, which Turkey refuses to recognize as it continues to occupy the northern third almost 44 years after an unlawful invasion, said it was in quick contact with Italy after the Saipem 12000 drillship of energy giant ENI was reportedly forced to halt its course to Block 3 of the island’s Exclusive Economic zone (EEZ) by Turkish warships.

Turkey, which doesn’t recognize laws of the seas, has it owns a large of Cyprus’ EEZ and has sent its own energy research vessels into Cypriot waters with no action from the United Nations or the European Union it wants to join, and of which Cyprus is a member.

Turkey has repeatedly warned Cyprus not to license international companies to drill in the waters where recent reports indicate there could be lucrative discoveries Turkey also said it wants a share of even though the sources would be in waters outside Turkey’s jurisdiction.

Speaking to state broadcaster CYC, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said the Turkish vessels forced the captain to maneuver out of their way, while other reports said the Turkish ships ordered the drillship to change course.

“The foreign ministries of Italy and Cyprus are in constant contact,” Kasoulides said.

 The ship stopped its course to its intended destination on Friday when it was at a distance of 15 nautical miles – 70 kilometers off southeast coast of Cyprus.

Later, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said any conflict that results, with no reports Italy would send its own warships to protect the ENI vessel or that the Cypriot Navy or Coast Guard would take action, would be the fault of “the Greek Cypriot administration continuing its unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

“Despite all our warnings, the Greek Cypriot administration continues its unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. It does so in disregard of the inalienable rights on natural resources of the Turkish Cypriot people, who are the co-owners of the island,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The sole responsibility for any situation that could arise as a consequence falls on the Greek Cypriot side, which, instead of expending efforts towards a just and lasting comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, persists in acting as though it were the sole owner of the island and in continuing its unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities,” the statement added.

The dispute over the waters clouded the collapsed unity negotiations that fell apart at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana in July, 2016 where Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades walked away after Turkey said it would never remove an army it keeps in the occupied territory only it recognizes and that it wanted the right to militarily intervene.

“This attitude of the Greek Cypriot side, which does not shy away from irresponsibly jeopardizing the security and stability of the Eastern Mediterranean region, is actually the fundamental reason behind the failure of the Cyprus settlement negotiations to produce an outcome for the past half-century,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

“As long as the Greek Cypriot administration continues its unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities, it will remain evident just how far removed the Greek Cypriot side is from perceiving the Turkish Cypriots as their equal partners,” it said. </s> NICOSIA, Cyprus — Turkish warships continue to impede a rig from reaching a location off Cyprus where Italian energy company Eni is scheduled to drill for gas, the Cypriot government said Monday.

Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides told state broadcaster RIK that the rig remains anchored about 30 miles (50 kilometres) from the drilling target off the island’s southeastern coast.

He said Cyprus and Eni are focused on ensuring that drilling goes ahead as planned.

Christodoulides said Turkish warships prevented other merchant vessels from approaching the area, citing military manoeuvrs. He said a Turkish notice binding the area for such manoeuvrs expires Feb. 22. Cyprus says the notice violates international law and is legally invalid.

Cyprus was divided into a Greek Cypriot south, where the internationally recognized government is seated, and a Turkish Cypriot north in 1974, when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup mounted by supporters of union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence is only recognized by Turkey which maintains mover 35,000 troops in the north.

Turkey opposes what it says is a “unilateral” search for resources by the Cypriot government because it disregards the rights of breakaway Turkish Cypriots to the island’s natural resources.

The Cypriot government says it is its sovereign right to drill for gas and that any income from the hydrocarbons will be shared equitably after the island is reunified.

Greece’s foreign ministry condemned what it said was Turkey’s disregard for international law and the “blatant violation” of Cyprus’ sovereign rights. In a statement Monday, the ministry called on Turkey to stop any further unlawful actions and to comply with its international legal obligations.

It also said that Turkey’s “provocative” behaviour isn’t in line with that of a candidate for European Union membership.

Turkey has in the past routinely issued notices binding areas south of Cyprus for naval drills in response to the island nation’s hydrocarbons search.

Last week, Cyprus said that Eni had discovered a potentially sizeable gas deposit at another target southwest of the island. </s> EU Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik on Friday criticized statements from EU leaders that Turkey is illegally blocking the exploration of a potential natural gas field off the island of Cyprus.

"The statement released by EU leaders is not acceptable for Turkey," Çelik said. He added that it was the EU that accused Greek Cyprus and Greece because of the failed Crans-Montana negotiations to resolve the problem of the ethnically split island last year. He also cited the constructive and benign approach Turkey will adopt during Turkey-EU summit scheduled to take place on March 26.

EU leaders released a statement on Thursday that said Turkey is continuing illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea.

The EU "urgently calls on Turkey to cease these actions and respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus to explore and exploit its natural resources," the statement said.

EU leaders in Brussels discussed relations with Turkey in light of the upcoming summit, with Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaking on recent concerns.

Greek Cyprus has been trying to exclude Turkish Cyprus and Turkey, which has been conducting seismic surveys in the area and exercising its legal rights in accordance with international maritime law. The government in the south of the island last month commissioned Italian energy company ENI, which declared the discovery of a potentially sizable gas field off the southwestern coast close to Egypt's Zohr deposit, which is the largest-ever discovered in the Mediterranean. However, Turkey immediately deployed warships to the region and prevented the Italian energy firm from continuing its operations in the region. As a result, ENI's drilling vessel left the area. The disregard for Turkish Cyprus's rights in the region did not stop with the ENI vessel. Following the Turkish Navy's blockade of ENI, early in March, vessels from U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil and state-owned Qatar Petroleum consortium were reported to have arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct offshore drilling activities.

The issue has reignited old tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 into a predominantly Greek south, which is an EU member, and a Turkish north whose sovereignty is only recognized by Ankara. </s> President Erdoğan says he will not let natural reserves be exploited by Greek Cypriots

A showdown over natural gas and oil deposits in the seas off Cyprus is set to intensify, with Turkey announcing it is to send a drilling ship to the region days after the US energy company ExxonMobil dispatched its own survey vessels to the area.

As tensions flare over the potential spoils off the divided island, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has declared he will not tolerate the prospect of reserves being exploited by Greek Cypriots at a time when his country is engaged in conflicts elsewhere, not least against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.



Last month, Turkish warships were ordered to prevent drilling operations by ENI, an Italian energy company commissioned by Cyprus’s government, in what was seen as a brazen act of brinkmanship.

Turkey argues the self-proclaimed Turkish republic of Northern Cyprus should also be allowed to exploit the offshore wealth, claiming that areas designated for drilling fall under Ankara’s maritime jurisdiction or that of the Turkish Cypriots.



“Hopefully it has been instructive for some who saw an opportunity to act unilaterally when Turkey is engaged in anti-terrorism operations elsewhere,” Erdoğan said of the gunboat diplomacy on Tuesday, adding that Ankara would be deploying its own newly acquired drillship to the waters off Cyprus imminently.



The sabre-rattling is causing growing concern. Optimism had mounted over the east Mediterranean’s potential as a gas-producing hub after geological surveys pointed to vast reserves around Cyprus. If unlocked, the resources could reshape energy geopolitics, transforming the region economically and lessening Europe’s – and Turkey’s – dependence on Russia for gas.

“Our approach is to keep calm and go on,” the Cypriot government spokesman, Prodromos Prodromou, told the Guardian. “We cannot accept Turkey interfering and creating problems in what, as underlined by the EU, is a sovereign right to exploit our natural wealth.”

As ExxonMobil’s two ships began work, Wess Mitchell, the US state department official in charge of American policy in Europe, visited Nicosia for talks. Four foreign energy firms have been licensed to explore for oil and gas in areas off Cyprus’ southern coast.

But euphoria over an energy bonanza has run up against old enmities and the failure to reunite the island – divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a coup aimed at creating a union with Greece.

“We are heading for a full-blown crisis in the eastern Mediterranean,” said Hubert Faustmann, professor of political science at the University of Nicosia. “And that is because Turkey is determined not to allow exploitation of any resources without its consent and participation of Turkish Cypriots.”

Talks aimed at uniting Cyprus’s feuding communities collapsed last summer and it had been hoped discovery of hydrocarbons would help re-energise negotiations. The island’s president, Nicos Anastasiades, insists the offshore wealth will be shared by both communities once a solution is reached. But many now fear worse is to come.

The brinkmanship coincides with already strained relations between Greece and Turkey. Warning foreign energy companies not to “overstep the mark” last month, Erdoğan said Ankara would be prepared to take military action, just as it had done in Syria, if required.

“We recommend that foreign companies operating in Cypriot waters not trust the Greek [Cypriot] side and become a tool for business that exceeds their place and powers,” he said. “The Greeks and Greek Cypriots would stop swaggering when they saw the Turkish military with its ships and warplanes approaching.”

Erdoğan, whose Islamist AKP movement has teamed up with the nationalist MHP party in the run-up to the elections, has increasingly spoken of the need to protect Turkey from its “bad neighbours”, triggering fears among western diplomats in Athens, Ankara and Nicosia that tensions will be further stoked over Cyprus.

Despite drawing a strong rebuke from the EU, which says it is the island republic’s sovereign right to exploit the resources, the Turkish government appears unfazed by criticism of its gunboat diplomacy. Several weeks after warships sabotaged ENI’s drilling efforts, Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yıldırım, repeated that “provocative actions will be met with the appropriate response”.

“There is a real danger of a Turkish confrontation with international drill ships,” said John Roberts, energy security specialist at the Atlantic Council. “The Turkish government does not recognise the government of Cyprus in the way the rest of the world does and that means its does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus has an exclusive economic [maritime] zone. If it pursues this argument to its logical end, it will use force to keep uninvited visitors at bay, which would put it at odds not only with the EU but partners in Nato.”

The best way to resolve the crisis speedily, he said, was for Anastasiades to come to some agreement that whatever is found is shared equitably. Even if extracted, experts have cautioned that it may take decades for the offshore resources to be commercialised at a time when markets are flooded by cheap gas. But in a region riven with competing claims over maritime boundaries, the spectre of Cyprus teaming up with Egypt and Israel to become an alternate supply hub has further incensed Turkey, itself keen to remain a major transit hub.

Egypt, which has the eastern Mediterranean’s biggest gas reserves, and has signed a key agreement with Cyprus, has also exchanged angry barbs with Ankara. With some fearing Ankara could take on ExxonMobil, officials have sought to downplay the prospect of the two survey ships running into trouble. Addressing reporters, the US ambassador to Nicosia, Kathleen Doherty, said activity would be limited to environmental and archaeological research in an area south-west of Cyprus.

Exploratory drilling – which Ankara has vowed to stop – would follow later this year. “I sincerely hope that both sides use that time to find a way to resume negotiations to reunify the island,” she said. </s> Cyprus has accused Turkey of obstructing a drilling rig from reaching an exploration area in the east Mediterranean. The Italian energy firm Eni was set to undertake exploratory drilling for natural gas.

The Saipem 12000 drill ship was en route to an area south-east of Cyprus when it was stopped by Turkish warships and told to go no further due to military activities in the destination area, according to a spokesman for Eni quoted by Reuters.

Turkey, which does not have diplomatic relations with Cyprus, says that some areas of the so-called exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Cyprus are under Turkish jurisdiction. The island was split some 45 years ago between the internationally-recognized, Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey.

The Turkish foreign ministry has slammed the Greek Cypriot authorities for a “unilateral” offshore hydrocarbons search. Cyprus was disregarding the “inalienable rights” to natural resources of Turkish Cypriots and jeopardizing the region’s stability, the ministry claimed in a statement.

Ankara also urged international corporations not to back the activities by the Greek Cypriot government. Italy’s Eni, along with Total of France and ExxonMobil of the US, are currently licensed to search for offshore hydrocarbons off Cyprus' southern coast.

At the same time, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades accused Turkey of violating international law by blocking the ship, pledging to take “necessary steps.”

“From our side, our actions reflect the necessity of avoiding anything which could escalate the situation, without of course overlooking the violation of international law perpetrated by Turkey,” he said, as cited by the agency.

Italy in its turn is following the matter “at the highest level through its diplomats in Nicosia and Ankara, and following all possible diplomatic steps to resolve the question,” a spokesman for the Italian foreign ministry said.

According to Eni’s spokesperson “the vessel has prudently executed the orders, and will remain in position pending an evolution of the situation.”

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section </s> Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that Turkey has taken all measures in the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea to avoid provocations and a fait accompli.

Akar said that Turkey wants to solve the existing problems in the Aegean Sea within the framework of international law and good neighborly relations, and that all efforts are being exerted with a good will. Akar added: "That being said, a fait accompli will not be allowed in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. All necessary measures are being taken in a decisive manner."

Fragile ties between Turkey and Greece have fallen to new lows following the Greek courts' repeated refusal to extradite eight alleged putschist ex-Turkish soldiers in the wake of the 2016 defeated coup and Turkey's detentio

n last month of two Greek soldiers.

The first quarter of 2018 has been particularly tense. Apart from the soldiers issue, the Greek Cypriots' unilateral hydrocarbon search activities is a matter of grave concern to Turkey. Greek Cyprus has been trying to exclude Turkish Cyprus and Turkey, which has been conducting seismic surveys in the area and exercising its legal rights in accordance with international maritime law.

The issue has reignited old tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. In February, the Cypriot administration commissioned Italian energy company ENI, which declared the discovery of a potentially sizable gas field off the southwestern coast close to Egypt's Zohr deposit, which is the largest-ever discovered in the Mediterranean. However, Turkey immediately deployed warships to the region and prevented the Italian energy firm from continuing its operations in the region. As a result, ENI's drilling vessel left the area. The disregard for Turkish Cyprus's rights in the region did not stop with the ENI vessel. Following the Turkish Navy's blockade of ENI, early in March, vessels from U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil and state-owned Qatar Petroleum consortium were reported to have arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct offshore drilling activities.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 into a predominantly Greek south, wh

ich is an EU member, and a Turkish north whose sovereignty is only recognized by Ankara.
The European Union urges calm and restraint after Turkish Navy warships obstruct a Cypriot offshore drilling vessel in the Eastern Mediterranean, which was approaching an area to explore for natural gas.