Cyprus’ hopes of getting a boost in its standoff with Turkey got a setback when outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put off a trip to help deal with the aftermath of a breach of the US Embassy compound in Baghdad by the militia.
While Pompeo will leave his position to run for the US Senate from his home state of Kansas, his office said he still hoped to reschedule a visit to Cyprus, where the US has given support to the legitimate government’s licensing of foreign companies to drill for oil and gas offshore.
The Cyprus News Agency reported Pompeo would be coming to talk about US-Cyprus relations, the lifting of an arms embargo and an energy partnership act in the East Mediterranean that includes Greece and Israel, and perhaps Italy.
It would be a balancing act for Pompeo as the US backs Cypriot’s right to license foreign energy companies to hunt in the island’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) but President Donald Trump is a supporter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has raised anxieties to a near-conflict level with drilling in areas his country claims.
A bilateral agreement was expected to be signed, something that was discussed during Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides’ recent visit to Washington, the news agency said as it cited sources not identified.
Pompeo was to meet Christodoulides, and President Nicos Anastasiades before crossing into the occupied northern third to meet Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.
Adding to growing fears of a military conflict, Turkey may establish a naval base on the northern third of Cyprus it has occupied since an unlawful 1974 invasion, with Turkish ships already drilling for energy off the coast.
A group of Turkish military analysts is looking for a location, the pro-government Milliyet daily newspaper reported, for the base after using Geçitkale Airport as a base for Turkey’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) operating in Eastern Mediterranean.
The area said to be under consideration is around Famagusta, about 35-40 kilometers (21.8-24.9 miles) from İskele Strait, the report said, with plans to build a military facility but not to store ammunition.
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