Nicosia said to be disappointed over UN reaction to Aegean tension
Cyprus’s officials have voiced their disappointment over the reaction of the United Nations to the escalating tension in the Aegean.
On Tuesday, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “regrets that tensions over hydrocarbons exploration have escalated once again and emphasizes that all concerned parties should do their utmost to defuse tensions.”
Sources inside the Cypriot government told Kathimerini’s Cyprus edition that the UN statement “encourages” Turkey’s behavior. The UN should have stated that “any actions that fuel tension in the area should be avoided,” the same sources told the newspaper.
Turkish warships have obstructed a rig from reaching a location off Cyprus where Italian energy company Eni is scheduled to drill for gas.
Meanwhile on Tuesday Athens complained to Ankara that a Turkish vessel had rammed a Greek coastguard boat off the Imia islets in the Aegean Sea.
