The natural resources of Cyprus belong to the Cypriot people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus said in a statement.
“With reference to the press release, No: 228, issued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 13 July 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus reiterates its position, already stated on many occasions, that the natural resources of Cyprus belong to the Cypriot people. At this stage, a bill has been submitted for consideration before the House of Representatives, concerning the establishment of a National Investments Fund in which the revenue from hydrocarbon exploitation will be deposited “for the benefit of all Cypriots,” as stated in the draft bill.
“The drilling in plot 11 is of an exploratory nature and therefore its outcome should be of interest to the Turkish Cypriots as well, since the future exploitation of the natural resources offshore Cyprus will be of common benefit.
Any Turkish claims should be compatible with the provisions of International Law, and Turkey should act in good faith in the framework of international legality. International Law provides for the kinds of actions admissible in such cases, and certainly a state resorting to gunboat policy in order to impose its positions is not one of the prescribed acts.
The real reason for the fact that the recent negotiating process did not yield any result is Turkey’s continuing desire to fully control and intervene in the island whenever it deems necessary, using as a pretext the so-called interests of the Turkish Cypriots.”
