If the Greek Cypriot side starts drilling, so will Turkish Cypriot - Turkish FM

If the Greek Cypriot side starts drilling in the autumn, Turkey will also drill, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

Cavusoglu, who was in north Cyprus on Monday for a meeting with Turkish Cypriot president, Mustafa Akinci, told the Turkish Aksam news outlet that where Cyprus was concerned, the process could not bear another failure.

We have a platform and we will start drilling. If they start in the fall, we will also begin, he said referring to plans by ExxonMobil to drill in block 10 of Cyprus’ EEZ.

Cavusoglu said Turkey had blocked Italian giants ENI in block 3 last February.

For the last three years we have been telling the Italians and ENI ‘do not enter here, we will not allow it unless the rights of the Turkish side are guaranteed.’ So if the Greek Cypriot side takes unilateral steps, we will start drilling there this time, he added.

He also said that Turkey had agreed with Greece and Britain as the three guarantor powers as far as what they would discuss and the context prior to the talks in Crans-Montana last year which failed to reach a deal.

If we rush to negotiate and fail again, negotiations may not be reopened. The process cannot bear another failure, he said.

He later tweeted: 

At our meeting with President Akıncı of #TRNC we shared our views concerning the establishment of a just, viable and realistic settlement that will also guarantee the future and the security of Turkish Cypriots.

Speaking after the meeting, Akinci said that the visit on Monday by UN envoy Jane Holl Lute to assess prospects for talks, should not be seen as a resumption of negotiations. He said she had come to assess the situation and was a very good listener.

At the joint press conference with Cavusoglu following their meeting, Akinci said he said he had tried to explain to the UN Secretary-General’s envoy the outlets that might exist for talks, and that the Turkish Cypriot side has always been positive in this direction.

We will not abandon our positive, constructive attitude, he said.

It is enough that this constructive approach does not go unnoticed. It is enough to find a realistic, fair solution that can be implemented, he added.

Cavusoglu argued that the Greek Cypriot side still did not see the Turkish Cypriots as equal, do not want to share with them, and that was the reason for the non-solution.

Especially in the matter of hydrocarbons, he said, 

We have told the entire international community that from now on our attitude in this matter will be different. Turkish Cypriots have rights to natural gas,”he said.

They will not give them away to anyone.

He also said Turkey continued to have a constructive attitude on the Cyprus issue as they had in Crans-Montana. “Talks are now underway with the UN on how the process will move ahead and in time we expect the picture will clear.”

Cyprus Mail