ATHENS NEWS FRIDAY 12 AUGUST 2011

12-13

Image of the week

Sweet revenge
Spanish matador Ivan Fandino is pushed to the ground by a bull during a Festival in Gijon, Spain
Reuters Reuters

bullfight at the Begona

Turkey steps up pressure on Cyprus

TURKEY will effect the necessary responses if the Republic of Cyprus makes any attempt to undertake exploration missions for large offshore gas deposits in Cypriot territorial waters, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on August 5. US-based energy company Nobel Energy plans to start explorations in October for useable gas in Cyprus exclusive economic zone (EEZ), known as Block 12, southeast of the island. Speaking to reporters, Davutoglu said no one has the right to do anything over the islands natural resources ... before the Cyprus issue is resolved. Cyprus Foreign Minister Erato Markoulli said on August 8 that Nicosia had lodged a complaint with the United Nations and the European Union over Ankaras threats and warned that Turkey was jeopardising its European aspirations. The Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974 as a consequence of a Turkish military invasion. In 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union and is due to assume the rotating EU presidency in July 2012. Turkey does not formally recognise the Republic of Cyprus and, therefore, has claimed it cannot recognise Nicosias EU presidency. On July 9 Ankara threatened to freeze relations with the EU if no resolution to the Cyprus question is reached before July 2012. Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu are participating in intensive, UN-sponsored talks to reach a solution before October. Davutoglu said there must be an administration representing both parts of the island before the exploration of Block 12 can begin. Cypriot officials have estimated there could be up to 483 billion cubic metres of useable gas in the block. The speculation that there may be vast amounts of natural gas in Cypriot territorial waters has sparked the latest episode on an increasingly intense and transformative Eastern Mediterranean geopolitical stage. In June 2010 Nobel Energy discovered 453bn cubic metres of useable gas in the Leviathan gas fields, situated in disputed waters between Israel and Lebanon and only 34km from Block 12. The findings came at a time of rapprochement in Israeli-Greek relations, in contrast to a decline in Turkish-Israeli relations. Local pundits claim that, as the EU aims to diversify its energy supplies away from the Russian Gazprom monopoly, the significance of potentially useable gas in Cyprus and Israel has added pressure on the already weakened government of Cyprus to accept a resolution to the almost four-decade long partition of the island. Furthermore, the planned Nabucco pipeline - which is intended to carry gas from the Caspian Sea to Austria via Turkey- has not materialised because of concerns about the origin of the gas, the security of the pipeline and the ambitious nature of the project itself. Therefore, Europe could benefit from Eastern Mediterranean energy resources. Yet, without a solution to the Cyprus conundrum, the geopolitical hostilities in the basin will certainly intensify. Constantine Callaghan

Local pundits claim that the significance of potentially useable gas in Cyprus and Israel has added pressure on the already weakened government of Cyprus to accept a resolution to the almost fourdecade long partition of the island