US reaffirms policy on Cyprus’s EEZ

The US State Department has once more urged Turkey to refrain from statements and actions that increase tension in the Eastern Mediterranean sea.

Asked about the presence of the Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa seismic exploration vessel, which is accompanied by four Turkish warships, in block 4 of Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a State Department official reminded that US policy on the Cyprus EEZ is longstanding and has not changed.

“We continue to believe the island’s oil and gas resources, like all of its resources, should be equitably shared between both communities in the context of an overall settlement. We discourage any actions or rhetoric that increase tensions in the region,” the official said.