Erdogan says Cyprus drilling is madness

By George Psyllides Published on September 22, 2011
Tayyip Erdogan said Cyprus' drilling for gas in the mediterranean is madness

TURKEY signed an agreement delineating its maritime boundaries with the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state yesterday, paving the way for Turkey to start its own offshore oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. 

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Turkish Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan announced the deal with the Turkish Cypriots, reported by the Turkish press as a “continental shelf agreement”. 

“We are protesting Greek Cypriots’ irresponsible, provocative and unilateral step,” Erdogan was quoted saying. 

The hawkish Turkish leader also sent out a warning to international companies working with Cyprus, threatening a blanket ban on energy projects and possible sanctions. 

“We want to warn international oil and natural gas companies working with the Greek Cypriots. The Turkish Energy Ministry has begun work to not accept these companies in the various energy projects in Turkey and also to have some sanctions,” said Erdogan. 

On a calmer note, the Turkish PM said Turkey would act wisely and not give ammunition “to those hoping for tension and crisis”. 

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday accused Turkey of committing “yet another unlawful act” with an “illegal entity, the pseudostate, which has been condemned by UN resolutions”.

Speaking from New York, he said: “With this violation, Turkey is trying to obstruct the Cyprus Republic from exercising a self-evident right, recognised by the whole of the international community.”

While the international community calls on Turkey to respect international law, unfortunately, Turkey continues to violate it, he added. 

Before the signing of the pact, Erdogan met with US President Barack Obama for an hour and a half. Obama reportedly called on Erdogan to reduce tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. 

Speaking after the meeting, Erdogan was quoted by Turkish state news agency Anatolian saying: “The Greek Cypriot administration and Israel are engaging in oil exploration madness in the Mediterranean.

“Actually, the Greek Cypriot administration’s drilling activity is nothing but sabotage of the negotiation process between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots,” he added.

Israel and Cyprus are exploring for gas in the eastern Mediterranean, and Israel has laid claim to a massive deepwater gas field discovered in 2009.

Turkey has said it would carry out its own energy surveys with the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state -- under escort by its war ships if necessary – if Cyprus pressed ahead with drilling. 

And Erdogan again emphasised Turkish military prowess: "Our assault boats and frigates are already in the region," Anatolian quoted him as saying.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was due to meet with Erdogan last night in New York. President Demetris Christofias has asked Ban to raise the issue of Turkish threats against Cyprus during their meeting. 

British High Commissioner Matthew Kidd told the state broadcaster yesterday that Britain sees “Cyprus’ legal right to conduct drilling in its exclusive economic zone as unquestioned”, adding that he hoped “the issue can be handled in a way that helps to lead towards the intercommunal settlement that we all want to see rather than away from it”. 

As Turkey continued to launch threats, exploratory offshore gas drilling in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was yesterday expected to go deeper. 

“We have passed the first stage ... tonight (yesterday) they will proceed with the second stage, to 900 metres,” Solon Kassinis, the energy service chief, told London Greek Radio (LGR) “Everything is proceeding well and we hope to have positive results in finding hydrocarbon deposits.” 

Texas-based Noble Energy which is carrying out the drilling operations for Cyprus, has been conducting offshore drills in the eastern Mediterranean for Israel since 1998.

Kassinis said it could take as many as 73 days for the first results to be known.

He reiterated that any natural resources found in Cyprus’ EEZ would benefit all legitimate citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.

“Nobody questions the fact that this wealth would be to the benefit of all legitimate inhabitants of Cyprus. We have expressed this position several times,” Kassinis said, in reference to Turkish Cypriots.

But the government’s pledges that the island’s two communities will share any potential wealth after a solution of the Cyprus problem do not seem to persuade Turkey.

At the same time, reports yesterday suggested Lebanon is also irked by the developments.

Lebanon accused Israel in January of breaking international law by allowing energy firms to explore for offshore gas in the absence of an agreement between the two countries on their maritime border.

A similar agreement signed with Cyprus has not yet been ratified by the Lebanese parliament. 

In July, Israel outlined maritime economic borders that challenged what it said were boundaries submitted by Lebanon to the United Nations in a dispute fuelled by the massive gas finds in the region. 

The map conflicts with a Lebanese submission from 2010 that gives Israel less maritime space, including areas that touch on recently discovered untapped gas reserves.

Both sides point to the United Nations for arbitration, but UN officials have been sceptical about the world body's options.