Cyprus, Greece and Egypt signed an agreement last week to cooperate on energy production of the oil and gas reserves around Cyprus, but that has not abated a war of words among all three nations.
Only minutes later Cyprus’s president, Nicos Anastasiades, accused Turkey of “provocative actions” for sending a surveillance vessel and war ships to search for natural resources in the island’s exclusive economic zone.
Anastasiades claimed this compromised the peace talks which had been resumed after a 10 year gap. Many had hoped that the energy reserves would usher in a resolution over Cyprus, now the west’s longest-running diplomatic dispute, but instead it appears to have widened the gulf.
The unexpected presence of Turkish ships resulted in negotiations being ended abruptly at the same time as fuelling an argument over drilling rights, dashing the hopes of many.
Now both Turkey and Greece talk about “rules of engagement” should there be a “situation”. Ankara is also insisting that the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus be involved in exploration, despite the fact that the area has no other official recognition than Turkey’s.
Adding to the tension is Israel’s discovery of its own vast reserves and its consequent need to have safe export routes through pipelines that go through Cyprus. The pipelines for the reserves around Cyprus are planned to go through Turkey, which is the cheapest and most efficient way to transfer the oil and gas to Europe.
The island’s newly appointed UN representative, Espen Bard Elder, appealed for calm. “What’s happening right now is actually quite dangerous and I encourage everyone to do their best to avoid any kind of further escalation,” he said.
