US ‘deeply concerned’ about Turkey’s activities in the region

The US is deeply concerned about Turkey’s stated plans to survey for natural resources in areas over which Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip T Reeker has said.

Reeker who is on a three day visit to Brussels spoke to the press via videoconference and replied to a question by Greek Open TV`s correspondent on the Turkish Navtex for seismic survey. He recalled the recent statement by a State Department Spokesperson.

“As you heard the US is deeply concerned about Turkey’s stated plans to survey for natural resources in areas over which Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean. We are concerned about actions that are provocative and raise tensions in the region,” he said.

Reeker went on to underline that resource development in the East Med was something that should promote cooperation; and provide a foundation for durable energy, security and economic prosperity throughout the region.

“You know as I do, this is a complex strategic space. We want our friends and allies in the region – just remember we Turkey, Greece and the US are all Nato allies – to approach these issues in a spirit of cooperation. I will just echo the message we have given before from Washington, as well as elsewhere in Europe, urging Turkish authorities to hold operations that raise tensions. We will continue to raise this message… we keep in touch with both our embassies in Athens and Ankara, monitoring the situation closely,” he added.

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.