Cypriot President Anastasiades Requests UN EEZ Intervention

The President penned a letter to the UN leader earlier in the month, that was tabled in the UN General Assembly yesterday, under UNSC agenda item 74. In the document, Anastasiades discussed recent occurrences, "...are not compatible with the smooth continuation of the talks on the Cyprus problem...have the potential to destroy the efforts of creating a good and positive environment and to actually derail the whole negotiating process".

Anastasiades added, "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". The Turkish vessel Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa along with two others, plan to conduct seismic surveys in the EEZ's block 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9, between October 20th to December 30th of this year.

The Cypriot President explained in his letter to Ban Ki-moon, "...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."

Anastasiades referenced how Turkey's activity is illegal under UN and international law protocols, "...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".