President of the European Parliamentary Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), Gabi Zimmer, has denounced the Turkish “provocative decision” against the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus in its Exclusive Economic Zone and called upon the EU to take immediate steps.
She also stressed that Turkey bears responsibility for the current suspension of the Cyprus talks.
“The Turkish Government has taken a serious provocative decision against the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey has unilaterally and illegally issued a notice to mariners, which binds areas within Cyprus` Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This is a clear violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Furthermore, it violates various EU Council Conclusions and European Parliament resolutions which reaffirm the rights of Cyprus regarding its EEZ and call on Turkey to establish good neighbourly relations.” Zimmer said in a press release.
She called on Turkey to “immediately recall such illegal acts and to fully abide by international law”, noting that “such unilateral acts undermine the talks for a peaceful and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem. Turkey bears responsibility for the current suspension of the talks and for the escalation of tensions”.
“We expect the EU to take an immediate and unequivocal position against diplomatic and other threats and actions by Turkey with regards to this issue” she pointed out.
She expressed disappointment “with the lack of criticism of Turkeys’ actions by the Enlargement Commissioner during his presentation of the Turkey progress report in the European Parliament”.
The European Parliament, she concluded, should be ready to defend its decisions regarding the right of any member state to explore and make use of its sources within its EEZ.
Last week, Turkey issued a NAVTEX (Navigational Telex), a notice to mariners advising that it was reserving areas south of Cyprus for seismic surveys from October 20 to December 30. This lead the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades to the decision not to attend the Cyprus leaders meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday. This decision was backed by all political parties.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, is divided by Turkish troops since 1974. Talks aiming at reaching a solution of the Cyprus problem resumed in February 2014 under the UN auspices.
