The United States government has not proposed tabling hydrocarbons in the Cyprus peace talks

“Categorically, no. We have made it clear that this issue and the Cyprus talks are a completely separate matter,” Lakkotrypis told reporters coming out of a Cabinet meeting.

The Republic’s natural resources are and will remain the sole jurisdiction of the Republic, he added.

Earlier in the day, Lakkotrypis and energy ministry officials met with Amos Hochstein, US acting special envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs.

Lakkotrypis said he and Hochstein – who heads the Bureau of Energy Resources at the US Department of State – discussed Cyprus’ plans for developing and monetising hydrocarbons, the ongoing offshore drilling programme and the Turkish incursions into the island’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Hochstein, on a one-day visit to Cyprus, also met with foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides. According to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Nicosia, in addition, he met with energy thought leaders and industry representatives.  His one-day visit focused on sharing the U.S. experience in shifting from being an energy importer to an energy exporter and the impact new discoveries of hydrocarbons are having on global markets. 

The State Department's top energy official said the United States supports Cyprus's right to explore for energy in its own waters, and said he hopes neighbors such as Turkey will use diplomacy, rather than force, to settle disputes over resources. Newfound energy wealth, he said, should offer a "window of opportunity" to resolve long-standing problems.

"If everybody would look at what's in their interest, I think we would find there is far more common ground to reach" a breakthrough on the political impasse, Hochstein said.

Mr Lakkotrypis said the Americans fully understand that the Turkish actions constitute a violation of Cyprus’ EEZ, and that during the meeting with Hochstein “it was made clear that the United States supports the Republic’s sovereign right to develop its hydrocarbon resources on the basis of international and national law.”

The two sides agreed to hold further meetings to discuss these issues over the coming months, Lakkotrypis said.

Any actions taken would be far from the public eye, he added, without elaborating. Also commenting on the same subject, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides denied local media reports that the Americans were either pressuring or “nudging” Nicosia to include hydrocarbons in reunification talks so as to defuse current tensions.

It is at least the second time the US State Department official has been on the island. He was among the delegation accompanying US Vice President Joe Biden during his visit in May.

As head of the Obama administration’s energy diplomacy, part of Hochstein’s job description is to work closely with European nations to help them become less dependent on Russian natural gas. Unrest in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East has added to concern about stability of the global oil market.