Cyprus has complained to the United Nations over its oil dispute with Turkey, accusing Ankara of harassing oil exploration vessels within its exclusive economic zone, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency reported on Wednesday.
In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in late November, President Demetris Christofias cited at least three more" serious incidents taking place involving the harassment of research vessels by Turkish warships in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus."
Several foreign vessels commissioned by the Cypriot government were forced to return to the Cypriot territorial waters as Turkish worships cruising around the island blocked their routes, said the report.
"The continuation of these incidents, I am sad to observe, unavoidably impacts negatively on our efforts to reach a negotiated solution to the Cyprus problem," Christofias warned in the letter.
He added that he would do everything in his power to protect the peace process and bring it to a positive conclusion.
Cyprus has signed agreements with Egypt and Lebanon on the delimitation of undersea borders to facilitate oil and gas exploration after initial seismic findings show possible hydrocarbons in its economic zone.
Turkey has no diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cyprus, instead it supports, economically and militarily, the breakaway "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus."
Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriot leadership has maintained that they should have their share of possible offshore oil and gas.
However, Nicosia went ahead with the first round of international bidding for oil and gas exploration in February 2007. A Norwegian company has been involved in a 3D survey on the deep sea resources around Cyprus.
Source:Xinhua
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