Drilling shouldn’t interfere with the talks

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has “encouraged” President Christofias to continue efforts to increase convergences on all chapters in the peace talks, reiterating his expectation that the sides will move the process forward, prior to the next tripartite meeting with both leaders at the end of October, a UN statement said.

President Demetris Christofias on Monday also discussed the issue of Turkish threats over Cyprus’ gas exploration at a meeting with the UN S-G who also pledged to raise the issue further.
“The position of the Cyprus Republic is clear”, Christofias told reporters. “We will continue. It is the sovereign right of the Cyprus Republic to explore and hopefully hydrocarbons will be found. Our Turkish Cypriot compatriots have nothing to lose, indeed they have much to gain, and this must be understood by Turkey and Mr Eroglu”.

Christofias yesterday also met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York where he thanked him for his ministry’s statement supporting Cyprus’ sovereign right to explore for gas. He said the Russian statement acted as a “shield for Cyprus” after which other countries followed suit.

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday hailed as “very important” the US State Department statement supporting Cyprus’ right to exploit its energy resources. He noted the US made it clear “they respect and recognise the right of Cyprus to explore and exploit its own natural wealth, a self-evident sovereign right”. Also, “they disassociate this right from the solution of the Cyprus problem” while also supporting the ongoing peace process.

On Monday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Speaking to the media afterwards, a State Department official said Clinton reiterated US support to the peace process in Cyprus, adding that the two also discussed issues regarding energy development and gas exploration.

“The United States supports Cyprus’ right to explore for energy. It doesn’t believe that should undermine or interfere with the talks and agrees with all of those who believe that the best way to sort out the question of energy and economic development is through a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem,” the US official said.

Asked whether Clinton made that view clear to Davutoglu, the spokesman said that she was clear on how the United States sees the situation.

President Obama was due to meet Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan late last night and drilling for hydrocarbons in the region was believed to have been on the agenda.

Meanwhile Turkish daily Sabah reported that Turkey will begin drilling for oil and gas after Cyprus starts drilling and Turkey’s national security council will discuss the energy potential of the area in next month’s meeting.

The paper reported that in 2010 the Turkish army’s General Staff asked academics and legal maritime experts whether they thought it was worth going to war over the energy reserves of the eastern Mediterranean. The answer reportedly was ‘yes’.

Citing possession of a government document, Sabah said the Turkish government estimates there are around 15 trillion cubic metres of gas in waters between Egypt, Cyprus and Crete worth around $7 trillion.

According to the document, if Turkey fails to “hinder” drilling in Cyprus’ Block 12, this would lead to an international race for explorations in Cyprus’ remaining unlicenced blocks in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The document described the situation as “serious”, noting, “from this point onward we are headed full speed to a breaking point which will test Turkey’s decisiveness”.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz yesterday repeated Turkey’s threat to sign a continental shelf agreement with the north of Cyprus and proceed with seismic surveys in the area. He argued that the start of drilling in Cyprus’ EEZ was a provocation, violating international law and the rights of the breakaway state.

Senior member of the Greek Cypriot negotiating team in the peace talks, Toumazos Tselepis, yesterday commented on the possible signing of a pact between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, saying: “from an international law point of view, (the pact) will be worth as much as the paper it is written on.”

On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said explorations could start off northern Cyprus within the week.

“Of course our steps will be supported by our military air force and navy. This is not a bluff,” Turkey’s deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said yesterday.