Cyprus protests Turkish activity in its EEZ
[File photo]
Cyprus has protested to the United Nations Turkey’s ongoing hydrocarbon explorations in the Mediterranean island’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that was made public late Tuesday, Cyprus’s permanent UN representative Kornilios Korniliou says that Turkey is conducting seismic surveys in the blocks 1, 8, 9 and 12, adding that Nicosia has already granted license to energy giants Total and Eni to explore for and exploit oil and gas reserves in blocks 8 and 9.
Korniliou said that Turkey’s exploration violates Cyprus’s sovereign rights as stipulated by international law and, in particular, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
