Ankara will continue natural gas drilling work around the island of Cyprus to establish the fair sharing resources, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.
“Turkey will not allow unilateral activities [in the Eastern Mediterranean]. We need to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots with actual steps,” Cavusoglu said at a symposium entitled “Law and Politics in the Eastern Mediterranean” at Ankara University.
Turkey on many occasions has contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling activity for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to resources around the area.
“We will continue drilling activities around the island. We are not trying to fight with anyone. Our aim is the fair sharing of resources.
However, everyone should know we will not let the rights of Turkey, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [TRNC] and Turkish Cypriots be violated in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he added.
PS Of course, the Turkish Cypriots will get their fair share on the resources, once Ankara allows them to work towards and solution on divided and illegally occupied Cyprus. But Cavusoglu & Co seem to forget that.
