Turkey slams Greek Cyprus hydrocarbon activities in eastern Mediterranean

Ankara has slammed the Greek Cypriot administration for starting hydrocarbon activities in the eastern Mediterranean without seeking the consent of Turkish Cyprus, vowing to protect the rights of Türkiye and Turkish Cyprus resolutely.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç explained Türkiye’s position regarding the ongoing hydrocarbon activities of the Greek Cypriot administration in the eastern Mediterranean in response to a question over the weekend.

“It is out of the question for any country, company or ship to conduct hydrocarbon exploration or exploitation activities within the Turkish continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean without our consent,” Bilgiç underlined.

These hydrocarbon activities of the Greek Cypriot administration have been carried out unilaterally without the consent of Turkish Cyprus and violate the rights of the Turkish Cypriots, who are one of the co-owners of all natural resources of the Island, the spokesperson said.

“These activities also increase the tension and threaten peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean,” he stated.

Recalling that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proposed to hold an inclusive Eastern Mediterranean Conference in 2020 in order to resolve long-standing differences between the littoral countries and that four cooperation proposals made by Turkish Cyprus to the Greek Cypriots on hydrocarbon resources are still on the table, Bilgiç said: “We would like to remind both the countries in the region and the third parties who Greek Cypriots hide behind that escalating the tension in the eastern Mediterranean in this way would not benefit any party.”

“Türkiye will continue to resolutely protect both its own and the TRNC’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and will continue to support the [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] TRNC’s hydrocarbon activities in the period ahead,” he added.