President stonewalls Turkey’s survey notice (Updated)

President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday said he would not comment on Turkey’s announcement that it would begin seismic surveys just northeast of Cyprus’ waters.

Issuing a marine notice – or Navtex – 1443/17, it outlined that Turkish research vessel Barbaros Hayreddin Passa would be carrying out seismic surveys starting Friday, December 29 until March next year.

Barbaros will be accompanied by vessels M/V TANUX-1 and R/V Apollo Moon according to the Navtex.

Turkey’s move comes just as Italy’s ENI is expected to begin exploratory drilling for natural gas in block 6 before the year ends.

In a statement, Turkey’s ministry of foreign affairs said in the absence of a solution to the Cyprus problem ‘it is unacceptable that the Greek Cypriot side persists in acting as though it were the sole owner of the Island and continues with its unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities’.

In an effort to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots, Turkey was preparing for various exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean including areas where Turkish Petroleum was granted exploration permits by the ‘TRNC’, the statement added.

Asked to comment, Anastasiades said he had no intention on commenting on any illegal or unlawful actions which go against international law.

What is important, he added, is that Cyprus exerts its sovereign rights implements its energy plans.

“I don’t want to pay attention (on the matter) anymore than is needed. We are a sovereign state exerting our sovereign rights. I will stop here,” Anastasiades said.

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.