Greece Urges Pompeo to Defuse Turkish-Stoked Tensions in E. Mediterranean
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday urged the United States to use its influence to defuse tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Cyprus and Turkey are locked in a dispute over offshore rights. The demand was made shortly before Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Donmez announced that one of his country’s oil and gas exploration ships will soon begin drilling southwest of Cyprus. Mitsotakis told visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Turkish moves south of the island in recent days were a “flagrant violation” of Cyprus' sovereign rights. Tensions between Cyprus and Turkey over offshore drilling have intensified after Ankara sent a drilling ship to an area already licensed by Nicosia to Italian and French energy companies. "The United States have a particular interest in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Cyprus is only asking for the self-evident, the implementation of international law," Mitsotakis told Pompeo, who is visiting Greece on the last leg of a trip to southern Europe. "I anticipate the positive contribution of the United States to lead to the creation finally of a more constructive and fruitful climate of cooperation in the region," he said. Ankara says some of the areas where Cyprus is exploring are either on its own continental shelf or in zones where Turkish Cypriots have equal rights over any finds with Greek Cypriots. The US Secretary of State was due to hold talks on Saturday with his Greek counterpart and the defense minister. Responding to Mitsotakis, Pompeo did not refer to Cyprus. "Today the relationship between (our) two countries has truly never been stronger," Pompeo said, praising the efforts of Greece on its path to economic recovery. "We are very confident that together we can work to ensure Greece can be a pillar for stability in this region." A Turkish drill ship, the Yavuz, is currently 50 nautical miles off Cyprus and plans to start drilling work on Monday. Turkey has already drilled two wells in waters to the east and west of the island, triggering strong protests from Nicosia and the European Union in recent months, including EU sanctions. "Our Yavuz drilling ship has reached the Guzelyurt-1 location. Our ship... will hopefully begin drilling as soon as possible after completing all its preparations," Donmez said on Twitter. The ship's location was unchanged from Friday, Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data shows. Turkey's second drill ship, Fatih, has been operating off the west coast of the Cyprus. The island of Cyprus was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. The internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government represents Cyprus in the European Union, while a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north is recognized only by Ankara. Ankara says some of the areas where Cyprus is exploring are either on its own continental shelf or in zones where Turkish Cypriots have equal rights over any finds with Greek Cypriots. Nicosia rejects the claim, saying that assertion is not only inconsistent with international law, but that Turkey would not accept any international dispute settlement mechanism where its claims could be put to the test.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1932336/greece-urges-pompeo-defuse-turkish-stoked-tensions-e-mediterranean
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