On October 20, Turkey sent the Barbaros seismic vessel to the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus where it has remained despite this being a continuous violation of International Justice. Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides on Tuesday expressed his regret concerning this and said that ENI is not going to terminate its drilling process in the area.

ENI/KOGAS was awarded exploration licenses in Blocks 2, 3 and 9. Two seismic surveys have been completed and it is planning to drill six wells over the coming 18 months.

Nicosia has asked Greece to send a Greek frigate to enter the area. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is cautious regarding such a move as he doesn’t want to escalate tension in the area even though the frigate’s role will not be to push the Barbaros out of the EEZ but as a show of support.

A tripartite meeting is taking place in Cairo on November 8 between the FMs of Cyprus, Greece and Egypt. Mr. Kasoulides pointed to the significance of the meeting as it reflects Nicosia’s efforts for cooperation that will lead to stability and security in the region.

Mr. Kasoulides expressed discontent that the international community has not called on TUrkey to end its violations.

During a parade to mark the October 28 public holiday of Ohi day, Cypriot Governmetn Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said that there “cannot be a dialogue if Turkey violates the sovereign rights of a member state of the United Nations and the European Union”.

Nicosia called on all those interested in the Cyprus problem to ask Turkey to immediately end its violation of the island’s EEZ.