Erdoğan says Turkey will protect Turkish Cypriots' rights to gas
"Our Turkish kin in Northern Cyprus are entitled to same rights as those in southern Cyprus, especially on matters such as oil in region. Turkey’s new oil drill, rescue ships transferred to Eastern Mediterranean are protected by frigates of Turkish Armed Forces," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in his comments to reporters following the Friday prayers in Istanbul as reiterating the rights of Turkish Cypriots over matters related to drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean.
- World
- Anadolu Agency & AP
- Published Date: 03:29 | 07 June 2019
- Modified Date: 09:31 | 07 June 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says his country is determined to protect Turkish Cypriots' rights to gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean.
Erdoğan spoke Friday days after Cyprus renegotiated a contract with a consortium made up of Shell, Texas-Based Noble Energy and Israel's Delek that paves the way for the exploitation of an offshore field that is estimated to hold 4.1 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Turkey says such agreements breach the rights of breakaway Turkish Cypriots to potential hydrocarbon deposits and is conducting its own exploratory drilling around the island.
Erdoğan said: "Our kinsmen in northern Cyprus have rights according to international law in the same way that (Greek Cypriots) have rights. We will not allow these rights to be usurped by those who have no business (there)."
"We are dedicated to protect our Turkish kin in Northern Cyprus especially in the regions exclusively related to economy. So our newly-purchased oil drill and exploration ships are in the region […] They are protected by frigates of Turkish Armed Forces."
In 1974, following a coup aiming at Cyprus' annexation by Greece, Ankara had to intervene as a guarantor power. In 1983, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded.
The decades since have seen several attempts to resolve the dispute, all ending in failure. The latest one, held with the participation of the guarantor countries -- Turkey, Greece, and the U.K. -- ended in 2017 in Switzerland.
Turkey's first seismic vessel, the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, bought from Norway in 2013, has been doing exploration in the Mediterranean since April 2017.