Turkish survey ship heads for waters off Cyprus
Published: Sep 23, 2011 22:56 Updated: Sep 23, 2011 22:56
ISTANBUL: A Turkish oil exploration vessel left the Aegean port of Izmir on Friday to carry out surveys off northern Cyprus amid tensions with Greek Cypriots on the divided island over rights to hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.
There was no sign of a Turkish naval escort for the Piri Reis and its 10 crew as the vessel set out, although Energy Minister Taner Yildiz had raised the possibility of such a security measure earlier this week.
Regional tension rose after Cyprus's Greek Cypriot government announced Tuesday that drilling had begun in a southeast offshore area adjoining a gas field in Israeli waters reportedly the world's largest find in the past decade.
Texas-based Noble Energy is carrying out the drilling in the Cypriot block. Speaking in New York on Thursday, Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said more blocks could be thrown open for exploration over the next 12 months.
Turkey contests a Cypriot-Israeli accord signed last year to create exclusive economic zones in the waters between them.
It also argues that Cyprus should not be exploiting natural resources until a settlement is reached between the Greek Cypriot government and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state for the reunification of the island, and that any revenues should benefit both communities.
Christofias gave assurances this week that any money earned from a gas find would be used for the good of both sides regardless of whether a settlement had been reached.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan touched on the dispute in an address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
"Turkey expects to see that all parties involved make efforts so that the Greek Cypriot administration ends initiatives that cause tension not only in the island but the region," he said.
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