On Saturday, Cyprus lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations against what it claims to be repeated “Turkish violations” of its airspace and maritime territory, and specifically noted that Turkish commercial aircraft have been using illegally on a regular basis the airport of Tympou in the occupied areas of Cyprus.
The President of the Cypriot Parliament, Demetris Syllouris, called upon the international community to exert pressure on Turkey over its “illegal provocative undertakings” within its exclusive economic zone, after the impasse concerning the drillship “Saipem 1200” belonging to the Italian oil giant ENI. In a letter to the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, Syllouris highlighted that the Turkish military exercises create a hostile environment for the companies that operate in full accordance with international law in Cyprus’s EEZ and continental shelf, but also clearly result in sustaining a climate of mistrust.
The Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias, during an interview for the radio station of ERT, noted that the energy planning of Cyprus will not change on account of the latest developments, and stressed that because it is directly linked to France and the United States of America, Turkey will not be able to continue its provocations in the Cypriot EEZ.
On Monday, President Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus mentioned that the support given by the “27” in Brussels last week only serves to emphasize the need to refrain from violating the sovereign rights of a Member-State of the European Union. He also underlined that there is no need to be arrogant or create an unfavorable climate, non-conducive to the resolution of the current situation.
On the other side of the Aegean, during the inauguration of a new submarine in the coastal region of Marmara, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim noted that while Turkey is fighting terrorism both at an international and at a national level, there are those that seek to benefit from the situation and for this reason set traps in the Aegean and in the Eastern Mediterranean. In any case, he highlighted that the Turkish Navy has the ability to “neutralize any kind of threat”, in what was perceived as a warning for both Athens and Nicosia.
Source: thegreekobserver
