Greece, Cyprus pressure EU to act over Turkey gas drilling

ATHENS - Cyprus and Greece heaped pressure on the EU on Tuesday to take action against Turkey over gas drilling in disputed waters, as Ankara said it would step up exploration in a move that could further strain ties with Western allies.

Turkey and Cyprus are at odds over natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean in a long-simmering conflict which has escalated in the past month, with Cyprus threatening to jeopardise EU enlargement talks if the EU does not take action against Ankara.

Turkey, which does not have diplomatic relations with Cyprus, claims that certain areas in Cyprus's offshore maritime zone, known as an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), fall into the jurisdiction of Turkey or that of Turkish Cypriots. Cyprus says that defining its EEZ is its sovereign right.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Ankara would not back down from its gas exploration.

"We continue and will continue to search in those areas that are ours," Erdogan said during a televised speech in Istanbul.

"Someone has given an order. They will apparently arrest our boats' personnel. You will come off badly if you do so," Erdogan warned, after Cyprus reportedly issued arrest warrants for crew members of Turkey's drilling ship, Fatih, last week.

Ankara does not recognise the Cyprus government which it regards as an exclusively Greek Cypriot administration.

Stronger message

Cyprus has issued arrest warrants for crew members of Turkey's drilling ship, the Fatih, which has been anchored west of Cyprus since early May and recently began drilling. Turkey's energy minister Fatih Donmez was quoted as saying on Tuesday that a second ship, the Yavuz, will be dispatched to the area on Thursday.

"We are now at around 3,000 metres deep. We target to drill to around 5,000-5,500 metres deep from sea level," Donmez was quoted as saying by Anadolu news agency. "We have 100-120 days of a schedule for this task. We will have reached our targeted point at the end of July," he said.

EU member Cyprus and its close ally Greece have urged Brussels to take action against Turkey for what they regard as a clear infringement of Cyprus's sovereign rights. In a phone conversation with European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Brussels should "unreservedly condemn" Turkey's actions.

Tsipras demanded that the European Union issue a reprimand to Turkey for its "illegal" gas exploration in Cyprus, accusing Ankara of "violating international law", according to a statement from his office.

He urged the European Council, which is meeting in Brussels on June 20 and 21, to "strongly condemn the illegal actions of Turkey in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone".

Cyprus on Monday threatened to block any agreement to admit new members to the European Union unless Brussels toughens its line towards Turkey. On Tuesday, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said he was he was not optimistic about Turkey changing its tact but was confident the EU would take a tougher stance towards Turkey.

"I'm optimistic that the EU will at least show decisiveness in sending a stronger message than it has done up until today. This is our objective," he told reporters.

"And I believe after the summit of the seven southern EU member states that there will be a stronger EU stance," he added.

Occupied north

The Fatih is in an area Turkey considers its continental shelf, while the Yavuz would be dispatched to an area Turkish Cypriots consider they have rights over.

Breakaway north Cyprus, supported by Turkey, claims a share in any offshore wealth as a partner in the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960.

The United States and the European Union have previously expressed deep concern over Turkey's plans.

After a summit of southern EU countries in Valletta, the seven nations on Friday expressed "serious concern over actual or potential drilling activities within Cyprus's exclusive economic zone".

They urged the EU to keep an eye on the issue "and, in case Turkey does not cease its illegal activities, to consider appropriate measures in full solidarity with Cyprus".

The Turkish foreign ministry on Saturday said the declaration was "biased" and contrary to international law, accusing the EU of siding with bloc members Cyprus and Greece.

The discovery of huge gas reserves in the Mediterranean has fuelled the race to tap underwater resources.

The island is divided between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and a breakaway state, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) set up after a 1974 Turkish invasion following a coup sponsored by the military junta then ruling Greece.

Turkey is the only country that recognizes the TRNC. The international community considers the breakaway state as being territory of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkey, amounting to illegal occupation of EU territory as Cyprus is a member state.

Several peacemaking endeavours have failed and the discovery of offshore resources has increasingly complicated peace negotiations.

Turkey considers the area in the Mediterranean to be part of its continental shelf and granted exploration licences to Turkish Petroleum in 2009 and 2012.

Last month, Brussels and the United States urged Turkey to reconsider plans to start exploratory drilling off the island.

Energy giants Total of France and Italy's ENI are heavily involved in exploring for oil and gas off Cyprus as well as ExxonMobil of the US.