Greek Cypriot Government News

Authorities in Turkey and Cyprus are on alert for any potential pollution from a 'sheen' of fuel floating across the Mediterranean from a spill in Syria, officials said.Fuel which seeped into the sea from a thermal station off the coast of Syria on August 23 has been snaking across the Eastern Mediterranean, but any potential impact on Cyprus will depend on currents.The latest satellite images of the region provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency showed the oil sheen east of Cyprus breaking down and dissolving, the Cyprus Fisheries and Marine Research Department said.The eastern Cyprus coastline, largely unspoilt, falls within two opposing jurisdictions; an area controlled by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government and a Turkish Cypriot breakaway state recognized on

A Turkish drillship has left the area where it was operating southwest of Cyprus and reached Turkey's coast for maintenance in a move the European Union said would help ease tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.Refinitiv tracking data showed the Yavuz vessel reached shore and the Energy Ministry said it would now prepare for work in a new location.EU member Cyprus' internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government has long been at loggerheads with Turkey over the demarcation of maritime waters and other issues. Turkish vessels began drilling for oil and gas near Cyprus last year.EU leaders last Friday assured Cyprus the bloc would punish Turkey if it continues drilling in disputed Mediterranean areas…

The Turkish drillship Yavuz has left the area where it was operating southwest of Cyprus and reached the Turkish coast, Refinitiv Eikon shipping data showed on Monday, in a move that may help ease tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.Cyprus' internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government has long been at odds with Turkey, which began drilling for oil and gas near Cyprus last year.The Yavuz vessel first began operations east of Cyprus in July 2019. Its latest operations to the southwest of the island, were most recently extended until Oct. 12 in a move which Greece described as provocative.The ship tracking data showed Yavuz as being near the port of Tasucu in Turkey's Mersin province on Monday morning…

Cyprus is ready to engage in talks with Turkey to resolve differences but only "without blackmail and threats", President Nicos Anastasiades said on Wednesday.The two countries are locked in a dispute over drilling rights in the Mediterranean, and Turkey said on Tuesday it had extended a drilling vessel's operations in disputed waters off Cyprus until Oct. 12."Nicosia has been always ready for a dialogue but for that ... to be effective, it needs to be clearly defined based on international law…

Cyprus has issued arrest warrants for the crew of a Turkish drill ship anchored close to its coast for allegedly infringing territory over which the island has rights to explore for oil and gas, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday."We can confirm that warrants were issued. It's a double digit number," the Cypriot official said, declining further comment.Turkey said on June 10 that reports of the arrest warrants -- which had at that point not been confirmed by Nicosia -- "crossed the line".The two countries have been at odds since the 1974 ethnic conflict that split the island between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations…

A Turkish energy exploration ship will continue to operate in the Mediterranean Sea, the energy minister said on Friday, after Ankara said the navy stopped a Greek frigate from harassing the ship due to territorial disputes.Turkey, Greece and Cyprus's internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government have long disputed their overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in the Mediterranean."Turkish Petroleum's exploration ship will continue its activities in line with Turkey's rights," Energy Minister Fatih Donmez told reporters in the western coastal province of Izmir, referring to the state-owned oil company.Turkey's foreign ministry said on Thursday that the navy had stopped a Greek frigate from harassing the Turkish Petroleum ship in the Mediterranean Sea, cal

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said on Thursday that the navy had stopped a Greek frigate from harassing a Turkish ship in the Mediterranean. It did not give further details.Turkey, Greece and Cyprus's internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government have long disputed their overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in the Mediterranean.The ship Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa was carrying out seismic research activity, the foreign ministry said earlier.It also said Turkey would continue to exercise its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its continental shelf."We recommend that Greece abstain from acts that would cause an escalation in the region…

Italy's Eni will not relinquish its interests in Cyprus, its CEO said on Wednesday, as an uneasy standoff between Turkey and the Mediterranean island lingered over offshore hydrocarbons resources.The Italian state-controlled energy giant had to abandon a scheduled drill for oil and gas south of Cyprus in February because of Turkish military exercises. The broader region has yielded some of the largest natural gas finds worldwide in recent years."I just want to remind (sic) that so far we have invested about 700 million euros in Cyprus. That means that there's strong engagement and commitment towards the country," Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi…

Greece will launch consultations with Egypt and Cyprus to establish maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday. Tsipras, who was visiting Cyprus, said those boundaries - which are normally a precursor to a state licensing for offshore oil and gas exploration - would be defined in areas where consent of "third countries" was not required. Turkey and Greece have been at loggerheads for decades over land, air, sea and sea-floor borders in parts of the Aegean sea. Cyprus, which was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek inspired coup, found gas offshore in 2011, in a move which has also been challenged by Ankara.

Cyprus is pushing ahead with the privatisation of its ports as part of the nation’s rehabilitation plans which will see a number of state-run entities turned over to the private sector. The Council of Ministers approved amendments to the legal framework governing the operation of the Cyprus Ports Authority. The legislative plan is now set to be handed to parliament where MPs will be tasked with reviewing the bill at committee level before passing it through for a vote. The plan reportedly outlines that the overall operations of the ports should be take on by a private company although the actual bricks and mortar of ports will still be under the umbrella of the Cyprus Ports Authority.

A Turkish research vessel will continue searching for oil and gas off Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot authorities said on Tuesday, extending a simmering standoff between rival sides on the ethnically-split island over offshore gas reserves. The row has already led to Greek Cypriots suspending participation in peace talks with estranged Turkish Cypriots, and on Monday they said they would not return as long as the vessel remained in the area. Barbaros, a seismographic research vessel commissioned by Turkey's state petroleum company TPAO, has been carrying out surveys in an area in the east Mediterranean claimed by Cyprus under international conventions.

Cyprus is ready to launch its first international offshore bidding round for 11 southern exploration blocks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) next week, despite Turkey’s efforts to create tension in the area with war games in an effort to fend off potential bidders for the project. The first round for the submission of applications for tenders for research and hydrocarbon exploitation will begin on February 15 and end on July 16. The whole procedure is expected to be concluded by Autumn. The government of Cyprus has rejected protests by Turkey over the maritime economic zone agreement signed with Lebanon last month to delineate the exploration borders of each country.