President of the Republic
sends letter to UN Secretary-General
about Turkish provocations
in Cyprus’ EEZ
The
President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, sent a letter dated 6 October
2014 to the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, regarding the Turkish
provocations in the Republic of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and their
repercussions on the talks to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.
The
letter was circulated yesterday as a document of the UN General Assembly, under
agenda item 74, and of the Security Council.
The full text of the President of the
Republic’s letter is as follows:
“Annex to the letter dated 6 October
from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the
United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
I
felt the need to communicate in writing with you, so soon after our last
meeting in New York, in order to bring to your attention some recent
developments that are not compatible with the smooth continuation of the talks
on the Cyprus problem. They have the potential to destroy the efforts of
creating a good and positive environment and to actually derail the whole
negotiating process. It is regrettable that these developments come at a time
when your new Special Adviser on Cyprus is trying to set the necessary
conditions and framework for the resumption of the talks and for substantial
negotiations.
I
refer to the latest decision by the Turkish Government to illegally interfere
in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus. More precisely, the
Turkish scientific ship Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, accompanied by two other
support vessels, will carry out a seismic survey from 20 October to 30 December
2014 in the southern sea of Cyprus and more specifically in blocks 1, 2, 3, 8
and 9 of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus. For that
purpose, Turkey already issued a navigational telex directive, through which it
designated certain areas of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of
Cyprus as reserved.
It is worth noting that blocks 2, 3 and
9 have been assigned by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to the Eni and
Kogas companies for exploration and exploitation of possible hydrocarbon
reserves in the seabed subsoil. Suffice it to add that Eni and Kogas have
already commenced a drilling operation in block 9 in order to explore the
possibility of the existence of hydrocarbon reserves, in accordance with an
agreement they signed with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
This is the culmination of a continued
provocative policy of disputing and interfering with the sovereign rights of
the Republic of Cyprus in its exclusive economic zone through the exploration
and exploitation of this zone’s natural resources in accordance with international
law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
It is recalled that this provocative
policy included, apart from continued verbal threats and rhetoric, the
harassment of vessels performing lawful activities authorized by the Government
of the Republic of Cyprus, by Turkish warships and military aircraft, and
unlawful seismic surveys within the western exclusive economic zone of Cyprus
by Turkish vessels.
However, this is the first time that
Turkey decided to escalate its provocation and directly carry out a seismic
survey in specific blocks, some of which have been assigned to international
companies (blocks 2, 3 and 9), within the southern part of the exclusive
economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus.
I would like to recall that the
exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus was proclaimed in 2004 and
that proclamation was done in accordance with international law, thus ensuring
the Republic’s exclusive sovereign rights and jurisdiction in relation to that
area.
The foregoing Turkish intentions as well
as their timing give rise to grave concerns. They point to the increasingly
aggressive nature of Turkey’s actions in areas in the eastern Mediterranean
under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus.
Their timing, in the midst of a process
aiming to reunify the island, serves only to undermine the process and to raise
more doubts as to Turkey’s commitment to it. In addition, these intentions
contribute towards the increase of the overall tension in the eastern Mediterranean
and the Middle East.
So far, I have provided you with ample
proof of my goodwill and good faith in pursuing the negotiations for the
settlement of the Cyprus problem and the efforts for a negotiated solution, as
soon as possible. But in order to be successful in that endeavour, all sides
should be able to show the same kind of commitment and determination.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case with the Turkish side, as
proven by the above-mentioned latest decisions and intended actions.
Negotiating under constant threat and
blackmail that undermine all efforts to create the good environment necessary
for a successful outcome of the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus
problem is not just counterproductive. It also has a negative effect on public
opinion, which should be able to support our effort for a settlement and needs
to be convinced that confidence and trust between the sides could and should be
restored. Unfortunately, these latest decisions and intentions of the Turkish
Government do not contribute towards that aim; on the contrary, they run
counter to it.
Therefore, given the Turkish threats and
blackmail, I am obliged to suspend my participation in the meetings with Mr.
Eroglu, under the aegis of Espen Eide, on 9 and 10 October, to allow time for
you and other Governments, friends of your good offices mission, to convince
Turkey to reconsider.
I am very well aware of your personal
interest in the settlement of the Cyprus problem, for which we are grateful. I
do recall that during our last meeting in New York, you expressed your
willingness to approach Turkey in order to convince Ankara to substantially
contribute towards the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
I would thus kindly request your
intervention in an effort to convince the Turkish Government not to go ahead
with the realization of the intended seismic survey described above, or any
other interference and violation of the sovereign rights of Cyprus in its
exclusive economic zone, as such a realization would strike a heavy blow
against the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
Moreover, your success in convincing
Turkey to refrain from carrying out its intentions will be a great contribution
towards decreasing tension and creating conditions of stability in the already
volatile region of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
(Signed) Nicos Anastasiades”
_______________
21/10/2014
