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EUROPEAN COMMISSION CALLS ON TURKEY TO STOP THREATENING CYPRUS
PanARMENIAN.Net
September 9, 2011 - 12:46 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule has called on
Turkey to refrain from issuing threats against Cyprus with regard to
its oil and gas exploration plans in the South-East Mediterranean Sea,
Europolitics reported.
He made it clear at the same time that Cyprus has the sovereign right
to enter into bilateral agreements. Nicosia has signed a contract with
the US firm Noble Energy Inc. on drilling for natural gas and oil in
its 324,000-hectare economic zone South-East of the island. Turkey
has objected to these plans, threatening military action if the works
start in early October.
"The EU urges Turkey to refrain from any kind of threat, sources of
friction or action, which could negatively affect good neighborly
relations and the peaceful settlement of border disputes," Maja
Kocijancic, the Commission's spokesperson for enlargement, told
Europolitics on behalf of Fule.
She reiterated the need to respect "all the sovereign rights of the
EU member states, which include entering into bilateral agreements,
in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including
the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea."
On a more general note, Fule appealed to all parties concerned to
"exercise restraint," especially ahead of the crucial phase of the
Cyprus reunification talks this autumn. He encouraged them to "do
their utmost to ensure a positive climate that will facilitate a
successful completion of the process".
Meanwhile, criticism is mounting in the EU against Turkey's stance on
the issue. According to Wilfried Martens, president of the European
People's Party (EPP), "Turkey, an EU candidate country, must refrain
from issuing threats against an EU member state. This also undermines
the EU's energy security," he said in a statement.
PanARMENIAN.Net
September 9, 2011 - 12:46 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule has called on
Turkey to refrain from issuing threats against Cyprus with regard to
its oil and gas exploration plans in the South-East Mediterranean Sea,
Europolitics reported.
He made it clear at the same time that Cyprus has the sovereign right
to enter into bilateral agreements. Nicosia has signed a contract with
the US firm Noble Energy Inc. on drilling for natural gas and oil in
its 324,000-hectare economic zone South-East of the island. Turkey
has objected to these plans, threatening military action if the works
start in early October.
"The EU urges Turkey to refrain from any kind of threat, sources of
friction or action, which could negatively affect good neighborly
relations and the peaceful settlement of border disputes," Maja
Kocijancic, the Commission's spokesperson for enlargement, told
Europolitics on behalf of Fule.
She reiterated the need to respect "all the sovereign rights of the
EU member states, which include entering into bilateral agreements,
in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including
the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea."
On a more general note, Fule appealed to all parties concerned to
"exercise restraint," especially ahead of the crucial phase of the
Cyprus reunification talks this autumn. He encouraged them to "do
their utmost to ensure a positive climate that will facilitate a
successful completion of the process".
Meanwhile, criticism is mounting in the EU against Turkey's stance on
the issue. According to Wilfried Martens, president of the European
People's Party (EPP), "Turkey, an EU candidate country, must refrain
from issuing threats against an EU member state. This also undermines
the EU's energy security," he said in a statement.