FM briefs House on EEZ status with neighbours

FOREIGN Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis yesterday briefed the House on the status of  negotiations with Israel, Egypt and Lebanon on exclusive economic zones (EEZ).

Marcoullis said Cyprus and Israel were in the advanced stages of negotiating an agreement for the common development and exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves found where the two countries’ EEZ overlap.

Negotiations with Israel started last July in Israel, continued in December in Cyprus and another meeting is expected to take place at the start of February.

“The agreement was achieved using models that have already been implemented in many other countries,” said Marcoullis, who avoided revealing more details however, as it is still in negotiation. Further developments  are expected during the Israeli Prime Minister’s visit to Cyprus next month.

According to Marcoullis, a request for agreement with Egypt on hydrocarbons and search and rescue matters has been submitted by President Demetris Christofias, which has been accepted by the Egyptian government.

“I have no doubt that we will move ahead with Egypt, it just needs some time…,” said the minister.

As for Lebanon, the head of the Commerce Ministry’s Energy Service, Solon Kassinis, underlined the importance of efforts to clinch a deal with Beirut.

Kassinis said any moves would have to be made fast, as Turkey has shown an interest in Lebanon launching its first round of licensing for rights to explore natural gas and oil reserves of its coast.

The deputy chairman of the House Foreign and European Affairs Committee, DISY’s Christos Stylianides, called on “mainly the media” to lower the tone on hydrocarbon matters.

“It is our plea that the matter is not offered for any petty political expediency and mainly it is not offered to cultivate exaggerations and false pretences in public opinion,” said Stylianides.

He added that if the matter wasn’t handled with the necessary discretion, Cyprus could possibly end up enjoying fewer benefits than hoped.

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.