Turkey issues new Navtex

Turkey issued a new Navtex on Friday night, reserving areas south of Cyprus for a ‘gunnery exercise’ on April 3.

The navigational warning posted on Turkish naval forces website outlines the area is reserved for three hours on Tuesday for an area south of the island, spanning most of what is comprised as Blocks 6 and 7 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The move came only hours after it was agreed that President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader would have an informal meeting on April 16.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.