Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has expressed the hope that all interested states will act in accordance with international law as regards the situation in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
Drillship Saipem 12000, commissioned by italian energy company ENI, was halted last Friday by Turkish warships en route to a location within block 3 of Cyprus’ EEZ.
“We believe that the interested parties should refrain from taking steps that could escalate tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, raising the existing regional differences,” she said according to Tass news agency.
She expressed the “hope that the interested states will act in accordance with international law and call on the involved countries to search for peaceful ways to resolve their contradictions.”
According to Zakharova, such incidents “once again point to the need to find ways to resolve the Cyprus issue as soon as possible, based on the UN criteria.”
She further noted that “our stance remains unchanged: we call for achieving a comprehensive, fair and viable solution for the sake of all of the island’s residents.”
“We will support a decision the Cypriots will find,” she said.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state, has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest round of UN-peace talks commenced at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana on June 28, but in the early hours of July 7, it was announced that the Conference on Cyprus ended without an agreement. Talks held under the auspices of the UN aim at reunifying Cyprus under a federal roof.