German Chancellor Calls For Talks To Resolve Cyprus Drilling Dispute At EU Level

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called for talks at the European Union level to settle the ongoing dispute between Turkey and Cyprus, which was caused by Ankara's claims to the right to explore the hydrocarbon reserves off Cyprus' coast in the Mediterranean and its drilling activities in the region

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2020) German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called for talks at the European Union level to settle the ongoing dispute between Turkey and Cyprus, which was caused by Ankara's claims to the right to explore the hydrocarbon reserves off Cyprus' coast in the Mediterranean and its drilling activities in the region.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Sputnik that the EU should fairly and objectively mediate the dispute between Turkey and Cyprus involving the delineation of their exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean.

"There are important issues here such as Cyprus and Greece. So we must also have bilateral talks on these issues [the drilling dispute] to be able to take decisions at the European level," Merkel said at a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.

Cyprus has been split between Greek and Turkish communities since 1974. Turkey's drilling operations in what Cyprus claims to be its exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean have long been a topic of conflict between Ankara and Nicosia, as well as in a larger European context. The area in question is believed to be rich in hydrocarbon reserves. Both Ankara, which backs the independence movement of the Turkish Cypriots in the north of the island, and the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, believe that the exploration for natural resources in this area is their inherent right.

Tensions over the matter heightened when Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord in late November 2019 and announced its plans to conduct further oil and gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Under the agreement, Ankara gets access to a zone between Turkey and Libya in the Mediterranean that Greece and Cyprus claim as theirs. Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and the parliament based in eastern Libya have each voiced their objection to the deal.