President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades underlined that the presence of Turkish drillship “Fatih” (Conqueror) in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Ζone (EEZ) represents not only a blatant violation of the International law but also an attempt to contest the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus.
In an interview on Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation ERT, on Thursday, 23 May, President Anastasiades stressed that Cyprus has already taken a series of diplomatic and legal measures against Turkey’s illegal and provocative actions in Cyprus’ EEZ.
As he said, these measures have led many companies, which were initially willing to participate in the Turkish attempted drillings, to withdraw from the project. “These companies had signed contracts with Turkey on the false premises that the drillings were to be held in the Turkish EEZ, and once they realized that this was not true they withdrew”.
As a result, Turkey lacks, for the moment, the necessary expertise, but the possibility of acquiring in the future such an expertise and proceeding with the drillings, cannot be excluded, Anastasiades estimated.
The international community’s strong support, that the diplomatic capital of Cyprus, accumulated through tripartite alliances, and also the unobstructed implementation of the Republic of Cyprus’ energy plans, are the main pillars through which Cyprus is countering Turkey΄s provocative stance, he said.
As regards the energy plans of Cyprus, Anastasiades stressed that they represent a crucial aspect of the energy safety of the European Union. He also noted that the French energy company Total will expand its presence in all the Blocks of Cyprus’ ΕΕΖ in which the Italian company ENI has exploration licensing. The President of the Republic of Cyprus also announced that Cyprus is deepening its military collaboration with France on defensive matters, a collaboration which is aiming to strengthen the safety of Cyprus.
Concerning the East Med gas pipeline, Anastasiades noted that it constitutes a very important project for the energy safety of Europe, with all the interested states being ready to sign the intergovernmental agreement, once the relevant study is completed.
He also noted that the re-opening of the dialogue for a solution the Cyprus Problem is not unrealistic, on the condition that Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side express their sincere will to proceed on this path. “For the moment, we observe that Turkey is not ready to participate in the dialogue. On our part, I have expressed to the UN Secretary General our determination to participate in a dialogue, within a preparative context assuring that we will not face the same obstacles that we faced in Geneva and Crans-Montana”, President Anastasiades said.