ENERGY: Greece slams Turkey for violating Cyprus sovereignty

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has berated Turkey for its illegal drilling inside the island’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) saying it is a violation of the sovereign rights of Cyprus.

In an interview with the Greek broadcaster Alpha Radio on Monday, Dendias reiterated that Cyprus is a sovereign EU member state.

He underlined that Turkish drilling in Cyprus water constitute a violation of the sovereignty and a disruptive influence in the region.

Dendias argued that Turkey is behaving as a disruptive actor in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean, adding that Greece will not follow this path.

On a recent photograph showing Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan standing before a map presenting half of the Aegean Sea as Turkish territory, Dendias underlined that each state’s borders are concretely defined by the International Law, not by any PR stunt.

“Such communication strategies cannot alter international legality but rather consolidate the image of Turkey as a country that violates legality”, Dendias said.

“Greece is not willing to follow Turkey neither in the path of the `balkanisation` of the region nor in the path of regional provincialism.”

Turkey has been drilling off Cyprus since May and sent a second Turkish drill ship arrived off the island’s north-eastern coast on 8 July.

In response, Brussels imposed sanctions on Turkey’s over its illegal drilling in the EEZ of Cyprus.

The European Commission was mandated to work on options for targeted measures if Turkey continued drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. (source CNA)