Eastern Mediterranean under threat from Cyprus hydrocarbon activities - Erdogan

The eastern Mediterranean region will face a sustained security threat if Cyprus continues unilateral operations there, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

Erdogan, on an official visit to Britain, made the comment in a speech at the Chatham House think tank in London. Turkey and Cyprus‘s internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government have been locked in a public dispute over overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research.

If the Greek Cypriot side insists on continuing its unilateral hydrocarbon activities in Eastern Mediterranean, security and stability in the area will be continuously in danger. I am saying this openly and clearly… Erdogan was quoted as saying.

According to Turkish Cypriot media, Erdogan also claimed that the Greek Cypriot side had not approached the establishment of a partnership on the basis of the political equality with the Turkish Cypriots, and blamed Nicosia for the collapse of the talks in Crans-Montana last year.

The Turkish Cypriot side has endeavoured for peace with the support of Turkey for half a century. On the other hand, the Greek Cypriot side has not come forward to establish a partnership on the basis of political equality. If the Greek Cypriot side insists on continuing its unilateral hydrocarbon activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, security and stability will be continuously in danger, Erdoğan said.

Erdogan is currently on a three-day visit to the UK and arrived the UK on Sunday afternoon and will also meet the queen.

Reuters