Turkey sends frigates, submarine as row mounts over Greek Cypriot oil, gas drilling

Turkey sends frigates, submarine as row mounts over Greek Cypriot oil, gas drilling
Ankara has sent in the Turkish navy to conduct monitoring of Greek Cypriot oil and gas exploration that is at the centre of an escalating row over its legitimacy. / James C. Davis, US Navy.
By bne IntelliNews July 14, 2017

Turkey has upped the stakes in its row with the Greek Cypriots over oil and gas exploration off the divided island of Cyprus by deploying two frigates and a submarine to monitor drilling activities.

Ankara has vowed to take action to prevent the exploration for hydrocarbons around Cyprus and with the July 13 announcement of the military’s involvement in the monitoring of what the Turkish government has protested are “irresponsible measures” tensions can only rise.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned international companies against cooperating with the Greek Cypriot government on energy projects.

“It is impossible to appreciate that some energy companies are acting with, and becoming part of, some irresponsible measures taken by Greek Cypriots. I want to remind them that they could lose a friend like Turkey,” Erdogan said on July 10.

The West Capella drilling vessel contracted by France's Total and Italy's ENI has been moved into position to start drilling for possible gas off Cyprus, Reuters reported on July 12, citing a statement by Cyprus's energy ministry.

Cyprus's discovery of offshore gas so far amounts to estimated reserves of over 4 trillion cubic feet valued at over $50bn, CNBC reported in January this year.

Giving its official description of the roles being played by the naval vessels, the Turkish military specified in a website statement that one frigate and one submarine were sent to the eastern Mediterranean to guarantee the security of oil transportation while another frigate was ordered to monitor the activities of the West Capella drilling vessel.

The row over the oil and gas exploration has intensified since the Cyprus reunification talks held in Switzerland failed. There have been mutual recriminations from the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot sides over the failure to reach a deal over the divided island, the main city of which, Nicosia, bears the unwelcome distinction of being the last divided European capital.

“We are closely following the Greek Cypriot Administration’s ongoing unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities, which disregard the inalienable rights on natural resources of the Turkish Cypriot people, the co-owners of the Island,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on July 13.

“Turkey is determined to protect both its own rights and interests on its continental shelf and to continue its support to the Turkish Cypriot side,” the ministry added.

The Ankara government’s energy and foreign ministries are now working together to prevent the Greek Cypriot exploration, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Reuters reported. The minister, however, has not said what those measures might include.

Along with the Greek Cypriots, the Turkish Cypriots also have rights over the reserves, Cavusoglu said. 

Turkey argues that the Greek Cypriot administration is not entitled to negotiate and conclude international agreements or adopt laws on the exploitation of natural resources on behalf of the entire island. This issue should be part of a comprehensive settlement for Cyprus, according to Ankara.

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